Secret No More
by Defiant Vixen
Summary: With Tracey a female in disguise, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave? :Gary/Tracey, Female!Tracey:
1. Chapter 1

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in disguise, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok? Characters a few years older in this fic. Light sexual situations.

**AN:** Hello there, everyone. Welcome to my first ever Pokemon fic. This is only a short fic, two or three chapters at the most, unless everything goes well, I might continue it. I specialize in genderbending stories. Yes, I take a previously male character and turn them female? Why? It's not because I'm homophobic, good god, no. I love Yaoi, but there is so many of that around, I wanted to try and be that little bit different.

I love Tracey to bits, so I'm understandably pissed me off by all the pathetic and ludicrous Tracey bashing fics out there. They're not funny; you don't even get a giggle out of them. I find them utterly immature and they make my skin crawl at how childish some people truly are. If you don't like a character, fine, but to write stories where they meet their end in horrendous ways is truly pathetic.

I do apologize about the rant, it's just I wanted to read some good Tracey fics, but found mostly pointless character bashing ones. It infuriated me, as you can tell. Fortunately, I have read a handful of really good ones, which made me calm down a little.

I expect flames, but really though, restrain yourselves, please. They truly are a waste of time. Please send comments and suggestions; anything will be fine. Thanks in advance!

* * *

Nibble fingers glide over the keyboard with professional accuracy, pausing every once in a while to quickly scribble something onto a clipboard. Pokemon data filled the screen, raven black eyes scanning over the information, searching for a particular subject and disregarding the rest until next time. The light from the screen caused golden tanned skin to shine with a radiant glow, a small smile gracing gentle pink lips, only mildly aware that someone watches with a sense of tenderness from afar.

Reclining rather casually in a chair, now a 17 year-old young man, Gary watches Tracey work from afar, his cobalt blue eyes taking in every movement. Tracey had changed very little over the years, while Gary himself had grown taller, seemingly shot up like a weed his grandfather once commented. He was tall and lanky, yet still more muscular than Tracey, and Ash, much to his rival's annoyance. Tracey was petit and had a rather slender figure hidden under those large and baggy clothing.

Tracey suddenly mumbled something and tapped the pen to the clipboard near the keyboard and Gary couldn't help but smile. Tracey was adorable like this, working hard and concentrating. Over the years he had grown close to his grandfather's assistant and talented Pokemon Watcher, closer than he had to anyone before. They would spend a lot of time together and Tracey was the only person who knew his secret wishes and desires for the future.

He loved watching Tracey work, especially when she had her back to him.

Yeah, you heard right; Tracey Sketchit here was actually a girl dressing as a guy. Shocking, wasn't it? Shocked the hell out of Gary when he first found out. He still winces at the memory.

He found out about a year ago, he returning to Oak Labs for some rest and relaxing, and to get his persistent grandfather claiming that he was working too hard off his case for a while. As if the old man had any right to lecture him about his work ethics; if it wasn't for Tracey keeping an eye out for him, he'd probably be dead by now. He had only just returned to the lab when he decided to have a shower, unaware that it was occupied at the time. Of course, being Oak's grandson, it gave him the right to walk into any room, any time, as quickly and impolitely as he wanted.

Throwing the door open, he marched and practically ordered whoever was inside to get out as he wanted to take a shower now. He was incredibly impatient back then, not that he improved much now, apparently.

The sight of a near naked Tracey, dressed in merely a towel wrapped around her obviously feminine body stopped him dead in his tracks. He had no idea of the female curves she possessed; she was a lot slender then he gave her credit for, her bust of average size, yet suited her frame so well. Her bronzed skin seemed to glisten from the water droplets, as if she had only just stepped out of the shower. Her dark green hair, usually held back with that pink headband now clung to her damp skin, framing her face, her raven eyes wide in absolute shock.

Back then, as a 16 year-old boy, with hormones running wild, Gary thought she looked hot, yet vulnerable as she clutched the towel to her body, her arms immediately moving to wrap around her slender frame.

He was shocked, that was understandable. And what else was understandable was Tracey's embarrassment. Even so, she really didn't have to call out Marill and order her to use her water gun to get him out of the room. A simple scream of shock and an order to get out would have been enough.

Still, thinking back on it now, Gary must admit he was a little impressed; timid and shy Tracey ordering her Pokemon to take him out was gutsy. He had no idea she had it in her.

He remembered sitting there on the floor, his back leaning against the wall behind him, surrounded by a pool of water and simply just stared at the closed bathroom door with wide eyes. He didn't know how long he sat there for, but he snapped out of his state of bewilderment when the door opened and a red face, yet downcast Tracey appeared. They caught each other's eye, confusion in Gary's, while Tracey's were shimmering with uncertainty and unshed tears.

Drawing in a deep breath, Tracey started to tell him why she was dressing as a guy, her voice breaking ever once in a while, seemingly unsure whether her explanation would be enough.

It all started when she wanted to become a Pokemon Watcher, her greatest dream, and as a small child after her parents died in a car accident, she wanted to be trained by the best Pokemon Watcher. However, as she grew under her new her mentor, she learnt that he was actually an agent for Team Rocket and he was training her to become a member. She refused to be used in such a way, especially to hurt Pokemon. So, she ran away; changing her name to her late parents, Tracey being her mother's and Sketchit her father's nickname. She also decided to disguise herself as a guy, which wasn't hard for her back then as she was more comfortable in shorts and t-shirts rather than skirts and dresses anyway. But as she grew older, she had to learn to bind her breasts under thick wading and bandages, hiding her curves under clothing that were far too large for her.

She had been hiding her gender ever since. Though the threat of Team Rocket hunting her down had probably passed, it was hard for her to let go of her security blanket, so to speak.

With the threat of Marill using Hydro Pump on him, Gary promised not to say a word to anyone about her secret. Unless he pinned her down and took off her shirt for everyone to see, who would really believe him if he did tell anyone?

However, far from being repulsed that Tracey kept a secret from him and his grandfather, Gary was intrigued. Learning of her mentor's intentions, running away from Team Rocket and acting quickly enough to disguise herself as a guy took intelligence and guts, and he was interested to learn what else she was hiding under that timid and calm persona of hers.

Gradually, over time, the two became close, Tracey slowly opening up to him, revealing her secret fears for the future. She knows she won't be able to hide her gender forever; she would like to one day have a family of her own. But she was afraid that everyone would turn her away after learning her secrets.

When Gary told her that he would never let that happen, promising to be by her side no matter what, he realized that he had fallen hard for the forest haired beauty.

Yes, she was beautiful.

A gentle touch of their lips soon followed and they had decided they want to try a relationship together, a first for the both of them.

No one knew of their relationship or affair, nor did anyone other than Gary himself know about Tracey's true gender or the reason why she was hiding in the first place.

They've been together for about six months now and it was only a few weeks ago did they decide they were ready to take their relationship to the next level. True, Gary did promise his grandfather that he would wait until he was at least 18 before he did the deed with anyone, but technically, it was alright. Tracey was a couple years older than he was, so that levels things out, doesn't it?

He was 17, she was 19, and if they met in the middle, that would be 18, right?

Ever since their first night together, Gary found it hard to keep his hands off of her, even at work. She was addictive, she was his drug that he couldn't get enough of, nor did he want to.

Prof. Oak, his grandfather, was currently away on business, so only the two of them and the Pokemon were manning the labs. It took Gary a few hours and some seductive kisses to convince Tracey to take off those restrictive bandages and breathe easy for a while. And she did, but only for him, she said. He'd have it no other way.

At first, Tracey was incredibly self conscious, consistently looking over her shoulder, one of her arms folded across her chest whenever she went outside. But, gradually, she got used to her feminine body and was a bit less self body conscious.

Of course, it helped that Gary would take her mind off her worries by kissing her senseless.

He loved kissing the Pokemon Watcher, she had a taste and a scent all her own. She was addictive, and Gary couldn't help but appear abruptly and surprise her by kissing her soundly on the lips, before slinking away with a grin as she spluttered incoherently with a blush the colour of a Vulpix dancing across her cheeks.

She would threaten him not to do that again, but he always defied her. It was just too much fun leaving her flustered and frazzled.

Keeping their relationship a secret hadn't been easy, but it did have a sense of adventure to it. The wonder if they'll get caught if they do this, how they avoid Grandfather's watchful gaze long enough to spend some quality time together, that sort of thing was in itself thrilling, yet highly frustrating as well.

Hearing a sigh, Gary snapped himself out of his musing and focused his attention back to the task at hand, Tracey Watching.

Stretching her arms over her head, Tracey makes a small pleasurable noise as she relaxed and pushes away from the computer desk, grabbing the clipboard as she climbed to her feet. Her eyes immediately collided with Gary's and they gazed at each other for a moment.

"You're still here?" Tracey says with a soft smile on her lips, a sense of gratitude in her eyes as she took a couple of steps away from the computer. "I'd thought you would get bored staring at me all this time."

Gary snorted lightly as he shook his head. "Are you kidding?" he said as he leaned forward in his seat and ran his blue eyes up and down her body, taking in her feminine profile and giving her a charming grin. "I could never get bored looking at you."

She was wearing a pair of loose shorts that hung off her hips and came to her knees, black in colour. Her top consisted of a blue sleeveless hoodie that reached the band of her shorts, the zipper done half way, a white singlet top underneath. She wasn't wearing those bandages around her chest, so she had a teasing taste of cleavage, amplified whenever she clutched something to her chest.

She was a natural stunner, yet she had a bit of a low self body image. She had no idea how beautiful she really was.

"Let's make out," Gary suggested with a perverse grin on his lips, prompting Tracey to blush a scarlet red, the clip board in her hands immediately pressed against her chest as she presented herself as shyly embarrassed.

"But I have a report to fill out," she replied with a half-hearted excuse, one of which Gary didn't buy.

"That can wait," he said as he meandered to his feet and slinked his way over to her, his hands finding her hips and quickly pulled her flush against him. Tracey's blush immediately darkened to an adorable shade of red, and only struggled lightly, her body seemingly betraying her as she soon fell into his arms, the clip board falling idle onto the floor with a clang and she leaned against his chest.

Tracey tilted her head back to look into Gary's eyes, the young male now half a foot taller than she was. He gazed down at her with a sense of desire in his eyes and Tracey tried to suppress a shiver of delight, still in awe of how much Gary truly wanted her.

Slowly, her eyes slip close and Gary dipped his head forward, his lips immediately covering hers in a passionate kiss. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for permission to increase the passion when the sound of the doorbell cut through the silence, bringing them both back to reality.

With a growl of annoyance, Gary reluctantly stepped away from Tracey, who of which seemed surprised by the sudden noise. He wanted to return to what they were doing, but the door bell rang again and again, as if someone was standing at the front door, pressing the door bell button in rapid concession.

"Who the hell could this be?" Gary muttered as he stalked to the door, his face contorted into a look of anger and threw it open, posed to tell the stupid fool who dared to interrupt his moment with Tracey to go to hell when he found himself staring at three very family travellers.

"Hey, Gary! I didn't know you moved back home?"

Great, it was Ash, Misty and Brock. Just what he needed...


	2. Chapter 2

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Thanks so much to CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing. It's good hearing from you and I am so glad you like the story so far. It's also very nice to see that others are fans of Tracey as well. Tracey rarely gets the credit he deserves and I love him to bits. He's just so sweet that I'm bemused to know why he's so hated. Hating him because he 'replaced Brock' is a very stupid reason in my opinion.

I am also apperceive that others have put this story on their favourite and/or alert lists, but I would like to know why you like this story; is it because of the pairing or because Tracey is a girl and you like genderbending fics? Just let me know, I'd like that very much so I can try harder in the future. Thanks in advance.

I hope you will enjoy reading chapter two. Any comments and suggestions will be held in high regard. Thank you.

* * *

Looking at the three new comers, all of them wearing smiles of endearment, Gary slumped his posture forward, an irritated twitch taking hold of his eyebrow. Ash had changed little over the years, yet had grown taller and more muscular, yet cannot compete with Gary and his sudden growth spurt. Gary promised himself to rub it in his friend-rival's face some time during the evening...if he didn't throw them all out first.

Behind the raven-haired male was Misty, the same tomboy she had always been, but she had grown into quite a beautiful young lady, her chest filling out nicely and was now a few inches shorter than Ash instead of the other way 'round. She still had her...er..._passionate_ temperament, though. She also had a killer right hook, one Gary had always managed to avoid by the skin of his teeth.

And then there was Brock, still the same woman-chasing, mother-hen, understand big brother figure. He too had grown a bit taller, taller than Gary himself, much to his annoyance. Even though he was still chasing the ladies, he had become a bit more controlled, for lack of a better word. He still worships the ground they walk on, but he does it in a more charming manner. Hasn't done him any favours, though.

"Hey Gary!" Ash greeted as Pikachu, who was on its usual spot on his shoulder, made a noise of greeting as well. "Long time no see."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Gary asked harshly as he was not exactly happy that they were here.

"What kind of greeting was that?" Misty asked with a scowl on her face and planted her hands on her hips as Ash gave him a look of surprise. "We just came by to visit. Is there anything wrong with that?"

Gary found numerous things wrong with that. For starters, they were ruining his alone time with Tracey. He hardly had the chance spend 'alone' time with her as his grandfather, despite his old age, had hearing like Maril and can pick up the slightest bit of noise miles away.

Besides, he deserved that alone time with Tracey! He had been waiting all day for her to finish those reports. He was a male teenager living with a beautiful female who was his girlfriend, his grandfather was away and it was just the two of them alone together in the labs.

It doesn't take a genius to work out how he wanted to spend his time with Tracey.

"Who is it, Gary?"

Gary pulled himself out of his thoughts of self pity to glance up just in time to watch his girlfriend emerge from one of the many labs. Gary breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed that she was clutching a clipboard to her chest. He couldn't care less if the gang here found out Tracey's true gender; he just didn't want them to gawk at her chest.

They were for his eyes only.

"Ah, Tracey!" Ash called out with a bright smile on his face, seemingly ecstatic at seeing an old friend.

"Ash?" Tracey said with surprise written across her face and she subconsciously clutched the clipboard closer to her chest. A small smile appeared quickly on her face and she quickly jogged over to them. "Brock and Misty are here as well."

"Hey there, Tracey," Misty greeted. "How have you been?"

"Hey, long time no see," Brock said as he gave a small wave.

"Don't just stand there, Gary," Tracey said as she approached the small group. "Let them in. It's nice to have some company."

Gary grumbled under his breath something about already having enough company but complied with his girlfriend's request by holding the door open for everyone to enter. They immediately approached Tracey, asking her questions about what she's been up with her time. Tracey regarded the group of intruders with a warm smile and a soft look, happy in the knowledge that her friends are safe after their journey.

"Why don't you wait in the sitting room?" Tracey asked as she pointed down the hall to the first door on the right, under the stairs. "I need to file this report; I'll only be a minute."

"Sure, it'll be great to be able to put the good old feet up for a while," Ash said with a grin as he lead the way, Misty and Brock close behind.

Gary waited for them to disappear from his sight before he turned to Tracey and gave her a very pained look. "Can't we just tell them to leave?" he asked, eager to get back to what they were doing before they arrived.

A light blush appeared on Tracey's cheeks but she shook her head in the negative. "They get suspicious if we do," she replied. "Besides, I'm sure it's only for a few hours. I haven't seen them in ages, so it's nice that they decided to drop by."

"A few hours?" Gary repeated with an undeniable whine in his voice as he slumped his posture forward again, seemingly sulking. He didn't know if he could last that long...

He followed Tracey as she moved to put the clipboard away, finally pulling it away from her chest. As she did so, she pulled up the zipper of her top to her collar bone, successfully hiding her bust under the thick material. Watching her do that only made him want to pull it down again and kiss her senseless but a trio of laughter brought him back to the present, reminding him of their company.

"Let's go," Tracey said as she grabbed his arm and had to practically drag him toward the sitting room. "Do try to be at least a little bit civil with them, ok?"

"I make no promises," he muttered as he shoved his hands into his trouser's pockets and slinked into the room after Tracey. Immediately, three faces greeted them, stopping in the middle of their conversation.

As Tracey moved in to sit down, Gary noticed with a jealous bristle that Brock seemed to be studying her movements, paying real close attention and he curled his hands that were still shoved into his pockets into fists, the nails biting into his palms.

He better not be checking her out her inwardly hissed as he quickly moved to take a seat next to Tracey on the couch.

"You look different," Brock suddenly commented and Tracey stiffened in her seat, Gary scowling darkly next to her.

"Er, different?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side with a questioning look on her face.

"Yes," Brock said as he placed his hand on his chin in a contemplative pose, seemingly studying her again. "There seems to be something a bit...softer about you.

Brock's sudden statement caused both Ash and Misty to look at her with studying gazes as well, causing her to sink back into her seat, her hand touching the zipper of her shirt and her cheeks flushed to a pretty pink as she tried to think of a way to ward off Brock's suspicion. Gary was a split second away from demanding Brock to mind his own business and stopping gawking at her when Tracey managed to stutter a quick reply.

"It must be the new outfit," she said with a shaky grin.

Brock continued to study her for a moment before he nodded his head sharply, seemingly happy with the conclusion. "Must be," he said as he smiled good naturedly at her. "It suits you."

The blush on Tracey's cheeks darkened at the compliment and she gave him a shy smile. "Thank you."

"Yeah," Ash piped up. "I had no idea you were this thin, Tracey. Er, no offense, but your other clothes were really big and baggy on you."

An understanding look appeared on Tracey's face as she had a few people mistaken her for being larger in body mass then she really is. Some callous people even called her fat, but because of her current circumstances –girl dressed as a guy- she really didn't want to dress in anything that was clingy. She didn't have the best self body image, but thanks to Gary, she was becoming a bit more confident.

"I just feel more comfortable in larger clothes, that's all," she said with a shrug.

"Have you been eating enough?" Brock suddenly asked, easily falling into big brother mode. "Working in the lab all day must be hard work."

Tracey was evidentially touched by his concern. "I must admit the work is hard, but it's very rewarding, so I don't mind. Don't worry, I always make sure that we have something to eat at least three times a day."

"That's good," Misty said as she gave her a smile and a friendly wink. "We can't afford to have you wasting away on us."

"I guess not," Tracey said as she laughed into her hand, her companions joining her.

Gary, however, couldn't help but feel they were all somehow flirting with her as he tried to ignore the voice of reason in his head telling them that they were only being friendly. Either way, he had to soothe his manly ego by reminding himself that Tracey belonged to him. And he had the perfect way in mind...

Tracey suddenly gave a cute little squeak of surprise, her eyes widening a fraction, once again her cheeks an attractive shade of pink. Everyone immediately looked in her direction, seemingly surprised by the suddenly noise. She coughed a little, trying to quell down the flush on her cheeks while Gary tried to hide the smug smirk that threaten to break out.

"Are you alright, Tracey?" Ash asked with a concerned yet confused look etched onto his face. On his shoulder, Pikachu too looked confused, its heading tilting to the side in silent question.

"Pika?"

"I'm fine," Tracey quickly reassured with a shaky smile on her lips. "I just...bumped my toe on the table leg, that's all."

While Misty and Brock looked sceptical, Ash's expression brightened into a grin. "I do that a lot as well; tree roots, large stones, you name it. It hurts, doesn't it?"

"Yes, it can," Tracey agrees, inwardly grateful that despite growing taller and more mature, he's still a little naive to some situations. He rarely gets embarrassed and he rarely understood when others get embarrassed.

Gary continued to grin to himself, his hand already making its journey back to her tender thigh, the same one he just squeezed that cause Tracey's reaction. However, had to abruptly pull his hand back and chomped onto the inside of his cheek when Tracey suddenly took to her feet, her closest foot 'accidentally' stepping heavily on his foot. His posture tensed and he released a low groan of discomfort from the back of his throat. It came out as a low growl, his lips pressed into a thin line as he squeezed his eyes shut from the pain, his eyebrow once again twitching above his right eye.

"Would anyone like anything to drink?" Tracey asked, the ever gracious hostess. Sometimes, she was too polite for her own good. But that was one of the reasons Gary found her so attractive. "What about some cookies?"

A chorus of positive responses greet Tracey and she nods her head, chuckling softly at their enthusiasm. "Alright, I'll be right back."

As she turned to move into the kitchen, Gary suddenly sprung to his feet, momentarily blocking her way. "I'll give you a hand," he offered, yet it didn't sound like a gracious request to be some assistant and left no room for argument.

Before Tracey had a chance to say anything, Gary grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her into the kitchen, ignoring the looks of surprise that had found their way onto their guests' faces.

As soon as they stepped into the secluded sanctuary of the kitchen, Gary turned around and tugged on Tracey's wrist, successfully causing her to fall flush against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips against her when she lifted her head up to question him about his sudden behaviour. Tracey made a noise of surprise, but it didn't take long for her body to completely submit to the passionate kiss and with little coaxing on Gary's behalf, she parted her lips and allowed him entrance into her mouth, where he immediately made her forget just about everything going on around her.

Gary grinned into the kiss as he snaked one hand into her forest green hair, the other resting in the curl of her back, pressing their bodies together. He wasn't sure why, but there was something utterly irresistible about Tracey tonight, maybe it was the smell of her new shampoo, or the way she appeared happy catering to their guests needs. He has always had a hard time keeping himself away from her, but tonight was exceptionally hard.

Either way, he wanted her so badly.

And it appeared that Gary wasn't the only one struggling with their need for touch. Tracey returned the kiss with all she had, melting swiftly into Gary's embrace. She had as of yet been unable to find out how or why her senses fail her the moment Gary pulled her into his arms. Whenever he touched her, it was like all thoughts would flee and she would just melt into his touch. It didn't matter where they were, or what mood she was in, all it took was one touch from her handsome boyfriend to make her forget everything.

"Gary...stop..." Tracey gasped as she tried to push herself out of Gary' arms. "The others..."

"Let's tell them to leave," Gary mumbled as he nuzzled his nose into her hair, taking a deep breath.

"We can't do that," she replied as her hand grasped into Gary's shoulders and she shook her head as if to clear it from the passionate haze Gary was causing – it was not easy, though.

"It would be rude," she continued to try and put reason back into their lives, but she released a small noise when Gary suddenly placed his hand on the delicate curl of her butt.

"I'm always rude," Gary sniggered, knowing that if he played his cards just right, Tracey will be putty in his hands.

However, Tracey sighed and placed a gentle finger against his lips and shook her head. "I'm not. Gary, please, they're my friends, and it has been so long since I've spoken to them like this. Can I have at least a few hours with them? Please?"

Gary's posture slumped again and his eyebrow twitched as Tracey stared up at him with her expressive raven eyes that were shimmering and pleading. He could never so no to her when she looked at him like that. "Fine..." he huffed. "But they're not staying the night."

"Thank you," Tracey said as she smiled and leaned up on her toes to place a quick kiss of appreciation on his lips. "I love you and I promise after they leave I'm all yours, ok?"

"Deal." A wicked grin slipped across Gary's lips as he watched Tracey busy herself in the kitchen, watching with hungry eyes as she reached up to grab several tea cups, exposing the skin on her back as she did so.

Hopefully he won't have to wait that long.


	3. Chapter 3

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Hello again, everyone. It seems that they have figured out what is wrong with the Login system, thank goodness. I wanted to upload this a couple of days ago.

Thanks so much to CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing. I must admit, Gary is fun to write when he's jealous and brooding ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.

* * *

Sitting glumly at his end of the couch, Gary stared out the large windows to the view of the luscious trees and grass of the fields surrounding his grandfather's labs. He had his back turned to the small group of talking and laughing friends, chin in one hand as he sulked quietly to himself.

He was friends with the three behind him, don't get him wrong, it was just that they have the worse timing ever. Couldn't they wait to visit until a couple of day's time when his grandfather returned from his assignment elsewhere?

Behind him he could hear Tracey laugh at something Misty said, retelling a story where Ash's clumsiness got them off track and pulled them all into yet another misadventure. From what Gary knows, all of their adventures started with Ash doing something either completely at random and silly to something charitable like helping a stranger.

Despite his mood, Gary couldn't help but let a smile appear on his lips. Tracey had such a pretty laugh; it was light and airy, almost like wind chimes in a gentle breeze. He liked the way her face would brightened whenever she laughed, her hand hovering a few tantalizing inches from her lips and her eyelids slip close when she laughed just that little bit more.

She really had no idea of how much she affected him in day to day life. It was hard enough keeping his hands off her as it was. It was nice that she was so happy and carefree at the moment, and it warmed his heart to see her like this, but still...

All this waiting was torture!

It didn't help him one bit that his mind decided to betray him and to add to his torture by going through a mental list of all the things he wanted to do when he was finally alone with Tracey again.

He was a male teenager for heaven's sake! He had wants and needs just like the next guy; he was just fortunate enough that Tracey knew of his feelings for her and returned them with as much passion as he did.

Why didn't Ash and his posse get the point that they were unwanted here?

Gary's body language couldn't possibly be any more closed off. He had his back turned to their guest, his legs crossed away from them, he was gloomily looking out the window and he hadn't contributed a thing to their conversation.

At least he was being a little bit civil as he hadn't thrown any of them out yet.

Tracey, thankfully, hadn't tried to get him involved with their conversation. She knew that if there was something that he did not want to do than nothing on this planet was going to make him do it. She once said that he was stubborn as a Tauros, but he preferred to be called focused and determined.

He was also highly suspicious.

Since the moment they first arrived, Gary had watched with a weary and critical gaze from the corner of his eye at Brock, the oldest boy in the room. He had this expression of perplexity on his tanned face and he appeared momentarily in thought. He was in his usual contemplative pose of one arm folded across his chest as the hand on the other stroked and tapped his chin. He was in real deep thought as he too hadn't contributed much to the current conversation either.

But what really stood out at Gary was the fact that Brock had not taken his eyes off Tracey.

Could be know about Tracey's secret? Most likely. He possessed an internal radar that could pinpoint the exact location of any female from a mile away. It was something he perfected over the years and was very, very accurate...

Oh, if he even considered he might have a chance with Tracey, then he's got another thing coming!

"Gary, you're glaring again," Ash said as he unwilling pulled the brown-haired male out of his thoughts of murderous intent.

Gary shook his head and trained his eyes on his childhood friend. "What did you say?"

"Are you alright?" Ash asked, his brown shimmering with a sense of concern, and Pikachu, sitting on the seat next to him twitched its ears wearing a look of confusion. "You've been acting weird today."

"Yeah," Misty said as she looked at him with a slightly miffed expression, like she did not appreciate having someone turn their back to her. "If I didn't know better I'd say you were sulking."

Gary immediately bristled and narrowed his eyes further. "I'm not sulking!" he denied loudly, promptly tensing in his seat to send a warning look to the his 'guests' before slumping back into his seat and folding his arms across his chest, this time facing the three.

Misty deadpanned and made a noise of disbelief. "Whatever you say, Gary."

"He's just been working hard for the last few days," Tracey quickly intervened and gained everyone's attention by doing so. "He's just a bit grumpy because he's tired. Don't take any offense, please."

A wry grin appeared on Gary's lips, thinking that it was so typical that Tracey came to his aid like that, even when he was making things tense and difficult for her. She aimed to please and she did very well at it.

"Ok," Misty muttered with a sense of understanding, but she still wore an expression of irritation. "I'll let his behaviour slide this time."

Gary snorted and felt really to retort her words when he felt a foot brush against his and he paused. He discreetly looked down and saw that it belonged to Tracey. It was a subtle movement, but it was enough to calm him down a fraction and he let his scathing resort die before they had a chance to be released.

Tracey sighed and leaned over to him; lowering her voice so only he could hear her. "Calm down, Gary," she whispered. "Try to relax, you're too tense. They'll leave soon."

"Not soon enough," Gary replied and slumped further in his seat, propping his feet on the coffee table and folded his arms over his chest.

Tracey then leaned back into her seat, but not before sending Gary a look to behave and when Gary saw her eyes shimmering with a sense of pleading in them, he felt bad for his current attitude and he winced.

She really did put up with a lot from him, and she never really complained. She puts up with quite a bit, actually. It's no easy task working as an assistant to a professor. It must be difficult for her to live under the same roof as two outgoing Oak men. Despite him having a good relationship with his grandfather, they still squabble like no tomorrow. They have two different views on things and how they should go about them. And poor Tracey is usually dragged in to play the mediator as she was constantly stuck in the middle.

Even after everything she has done for the two of them, especially him, she still saw herself as someone who needed to do better.

She was already perfect in his eyes and he'll make her realize just how much afterwards.

After the guests leave!

"She then backhanded him into the river," Ash said as he laughed lightly. Gary quickly snapped out of his thoughts again, his brow furrowing when he realized that he just caught the end of Ash's story and had no idea what it was about.

"That was a little harsh," Misty commented as she frowned slightly and shook her head seemingly in disbelief. "She could have easily said no. That water was ice water! Brock could have gotten hypothermia!"

Ah, so it was about Brock's escapades with the ladies again. The poor guy had no luck whatsoever.

"Yeah," Brock muttered as he scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment. "At least I knew what she meant."

"I have to agree with Misty," Tracey said as she too shook her head. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"

"Nothing a hot bath couldn't fix," Brock quickly reassured as he sent Tracey a friendly smile, one with a sense of gratitude that she was worried about his health. She always worried about her friends whenever they started a new journey. "They don't all end like that. Some just tell me flat out no."

A somewhat of a sly looked suddenly appeared on Misty's face and she nudged Brock in the side. "Why don't you show Tracey what you did to try and impress Nurse Joy?"

Brock raised an eyebrow at her in slight confusion and the two of them stare each other, having a silent conversation. Misty tilted her head toward Tracey and then toward Gary, and Brock made a noise of understanding.

Gary felt his eyes narrow in suspicion as he watched the two with a critical gaze. Ash seemed oblivious and confused to what was happening around him as he merely looked back and forth between the two. Tracey was also wearing a look of confusion, but she also seemed slightly tensed, almost fearfully shy.

Those two were concocting a plan of some kind, he could just feel it.

"Sure," Brock said as he climbed to his feet and edged his way over to Tracey, and held out a hand to help her up. "You opinion would be greatly appreciated."

"Um..." Tracey stuttered shyly as she took his hand, much to Gary's complete and utter jealousy and climbed to herself. "Sure."

Brock suddenly took both of Tracey's hands in his, her slender, lithe hands disappearing in his much larger ones. A light blush instantly stained her cheeks as her raven coloured eyes widen in surprise as Brock knelt down before her and gently kisses the back of her hand, prompting her to gasp softly at the gentlemanly display.

"I know I don't have a chance with a beauty like you, but I just wanted to hear an angel speak," Brock said in a deep and charming voice, making Tracey's heart almost skip a beat. "It would fill my heart with such warmth to hear your sweet, sweet voice."

Those words made Tracey's heart flutter wildly in her chest and she swallowed thickly; it was almost as if Brock was speaking to her with such words of endearment, like he wanted to impress her. Like he was...flirting with her.

"I..." Tracey stuttered before she gave a nervous half smile, appearing as if she was trying to let him down softly. "And she said no to that?"

Brock dropped his chin to his chest in defeat and climbed to his feet again. "Can you believe it?" he whined.

Tracey would have patted him on the head in sympathy, but the older male still had her hands in his so all she could do was let her eyes soften in pity. "She must have been a fool."

Gary was in shock by Brock's audacity before he literally began to seethe in his own skin, his hackles rising up much like a Growlithe and he clenched his hands into fists. He suddenly leapt to his feet, stomped over to the two still holding hands and ripped them apart. He kept a hand on Tracey's shoulder as he placed a hand on Brock's chest, pushing him back with fearsome narrow eyes.

"Or she was taken by someone stronger and meaner that you are," Gary hissed at Brock as he placed himself in-between him and Tracey.

"G-Gary!" Tracey stuttered in surprise as she subconsciously turned her body to face her secret boyfriend, hoping that he wasn't angry with her.

Brock, however, didn't seem surprised by his reaction. He laughed good-heartedly and placed a hand to the back of his head. "Oh, that could be a possibility!"

"What is with you today?" Misty asked as she eyed Gary through a narrow and suspicious gaze, Ash and Pikachu staying oddly quiet in the background for once. "You're acting like a jealous and protective boyfriend or something."

Gary immediately stiffened and dropped his hand from Tracey's shoulder, the two of them taking a step back from each other to stop further suspicions from arising. "What could I be jealous about?" he asked.

Protective boyfriend? Yes, most definitely. And why shouldn't he be? Tracey was a great catch after all. But jealous? Like hell! Why would he be jealous of Brock here?

"Oh, how about this one?" Brock suddenly said as he side stepped Gary, who was still having a glaring match with Misty and took Tracey's hands again. "You look life my first wife!"

Tracey blinked slowly, trying to digest his sudden admission. "But you've never been married," she simply stated, her face oddly blank of emotions.

Brock smiled brightly. "Exactly."

Another nervous laugh passed Tracey's lips and she gave him a forced smile, her eyes slipping close in a cute expression. "I see."

Gary, once again, bristled dangerous and forced his way in-between the two, this time, his arm slipping around Tracey's neck, unconsciously pulling her against him. "And you never will be if you keep this up!" he snarled.

Brock was officially pushing his luck, and by the way Misty seemed to be sniggering in her hand, she was as well...

Tracey decided that she had to put a stop to this before things escalated into an all out brawl, with Gary as the instigator. For a seventeen year old, he can act like a spoilt brat when the time called for it. But she loves him anyway.

"Personally, I think all you need to do, Brock, is to be yourself," she said as she twisted herself out of Gary's arms and moved to stand in front of the much taller teen. She placed her hand over her heart and gave him a very sincere look. "Don't try too hard to get their attention, just make them feel comfortable around you. I'm sure you will find the perfect girl just for you one day."

Brock appeared surprised at first and it took a moment for the words to sink in. His expression then softened and he gave Tracey a very heartfelt smile. "Thank you," he said. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Tracey gave a soft laugh of embarrassment and began to cutely wring her fingers in front of her. "I'm sure that's not true," she said as a light blush adorned her cheeks.

"Oh look, we're out of tea," Brock suddenly announced as he picked up the empty tea pot in one hand and he grabbed the crook of Tracey's arm in the other. "Why don't you and I make another batch up right away?"

"Hey!" Gary yelled as he tried to walk after them, but then Brock turned around and wagged a finger in his face.

"Now now, you must be a gracious host and take care of your guests. We'll only be a minute," he said with a bright grin on his lips, but quickly afterwards, his expression turned serious and he gave Gary a determined look. "Besides, I need to speak with Tracey about something."

Tracey instantly felt nervous when Brock leads her into the kitchen, her heart rate quickly rising. What could Brock possibly want to speak with her about so intently in privacy?

Looked like she was about to find out, without Gary there to back her up.


	4. Chapter 4

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Thanks so much to CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing.

I've written a quick side story for this series called **Secrets We Keep** if anyone is interested, please check it out. Once again, any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

* * *

Ash felt a thick haze of tension fill the room as Brock dragged Tracey quickly out of sight in a rather flamboyant way. The sight seemed friendly in Ash's opinion, but apparently it was something of a threat to Gary. He was positively seething in his own skin; his eye was twitching violently as he shook with barely suppressed rage. It appeared as if he was using all his self control not to stomp after the two of them.

If his mood had anything to with the lack of sleep, than it appeared that Gary hadn't slept in days!

Poor Gary. Ash had no idea that working in a lab like Oak Laboratories' could be so draining. Then again, Prof. Oak wasn't here, so the work load might have doubled in his absence. Either way, Gary needed to relax a little.

"Why don't we watch a movie or something?" Ash tried to suggest something that just might break the tension that was currently blanketing the entire room, but it did very little to make Gary stop glaring with murderous rage at the door that lead into the kitchen.

"I've already seen it," Gary muttered darkly, not even bothering to look in Ash's direction.

He didn't know what Brock thought he was doing, especially after flirting with Tracey like that in front of him, but if he so much as tried anything, anything at all, Gary won't hesitate to, not back hand him into a river, but personally hold his head under the water with his boot planted in his back!

"We've totally lost him," Misty sighed as she threw her hands up into the air in a sign of giving up. "He hasn't changed a bit."

"Gary is in a really bad mood today," Ash commented as he looked at his childhood friend/rival with concern shimmering in his eyes. He had never seen him act like this before. "I wonder what's wrong."

Tracey swallowed thickly as she tried her best to ease her rapidly beating heart that was literally pounding in her chest. She had no idea what Brock wished to speak with her about, he only used that serious tone of voice when he had something rather important to discuss.

But despite her unease, she managed to put a somewhat tense smile on her face when Brock effortlessly dragged her into the kitchen and watched with a mild sense of confusion when Brock busied himself with the refreshments.

"You really must tell me how you made those cookies today," Brock said as he dropped her hand and got himself quickly acquainted with the kitchen. "They were delicious. I'm sure my brothers and sisters back home would love them."

"Um, I can write down the recipe if you like," Tracey replied as she nervously wringed her fingers together in front of her, feeling flustered by both the thought of Brock wishing to speak to her about something important and by the compliment about her cooking. She wasn't very good at receiving compliments as she really didn't know how to respond.

Tracey took it upon herself to learn how to cook, as both Gary and Prof. Oak were out of their depths in the kitchen, and there was only so many days in a row that someone could have instant noodles without being sick. When she first became Prof. Oak's assistant that was all he really had stocked in the kitchen.

Thankfully, Mrs Katchem, and Mimey, of course, was more than willing to make a few extra meals for the both of them and happily taught Tracey the basics of the kitchen. Mrs. Katchem is a marvellous cook, so Tracey learnt from the best.

She didn't mind doing the cooking as it was perfect for her to monitor her boys, as she had a habit of calling them now, eating habits. She made sure that they had at least two good meals a day, hunting them down with a lunchbox of food if necessary.

Shaking her head to rid herself of her current thought path, Tracey focused at the task at hand; what did Brock wish to speak to her about? The waiting was starting to get to her!

"What do you want to talk about, Brock?" Tracey finally asked as she tried to remain indifferent, but inwardly was scared of what he might say to her.

"If only I could find a nice, beautiful girl..." Brock suddenly sighed dramatically as he turned the kettle on for tea. But then glanced over his shoulder and gave her a sly look. "Like you."

Tracey could have sworn time stop still and her breath hitched harshly in her throat. Did she hear right? Did he really know about her secret?

"Huh?" she stuttered as her mind fell blank from the shock as she immediately lifted an arm and crossed it over her chest and subconsciously took a step backwards. "I'm-"

"Don't try to hide it from me, I can tell that you're not a guy," Brock said as he turned his back on the gradually bubbling kettle and folded his hands casually behind his back, in a non-threatening way. In fact, his whole posture was casual and he held a friendly smile on his face. "I thought there was something different about you the first moment we met."

"I'm sorry," Tracey immediately blurted out, panicking ever so slightly, her heart rate increasing and her breathing quickening. This was her greatest fear; someone finding about her true gender without first preparing herself for their reaction. "I didn't-"

"It's fine," Brock cut her off from explaining herself; her reasons for hiding was none of his business and he knew that it was for a good reason. "I'm not mad or disgusted, you can relax a little."

Tracey nodded her head as she took a moment to collect herself, Brock waiting patiently as she drew in a couple of deep, drawn out breathes and released them slowly. It would do her no good to have a panic attack; Gary would go ballistic and no doubt accuse Brock for doing something rather unwholesome.

"Sorry," Tracey muttered again as she gave Brock a shy look, her cheeks giving off a flustered appearance. If Brock worked out her true gender all on his own, did either Ash or Misty realize as well? If so, were they as calm about it as Brock was here?

"Hmm," Brock hummed as he placed his hand on his chin in his usual 'pondering pose' that his friends has unofficially dubbed for him and adverted his gaze to the ceiling. "It's nice to know that my sexy lady radar isn't broken."

It took a moment for Tracey to realize that Brock was talking about her and immediately her blush darkened to a deep red and she mentally flailed for a few seconds. "What?" she practically squeaked in disbelief.

Did Brock just refer to her as a sexy lady? Surely, he must be joking. She wasn't sexy; Gary liked to tell her constantly that she was sexy and beautiful, but she didn't really believe it. How could a girl dressed as a guy be sexy or beautiful?

But, Gary insisted that she was, and he would never tell white lies like that. Gary had always been honest, in some cases, brutally honest, but that was what Tracey liked about him. There was no beating around the bush with him, if something or someone was bothering, he most certainly wasn't afraid to let anyone know.

Thinking back, Tracey could not even begin to count the times that Gary stood up for her, pushing away people who tried to use her inability to say no to their advantage.

"Gary is very lucky to have someone like you," Brock said with a tone of sincerity.

"No," Tracey said as she shook her head slowly, a small smile gracing her lips. "I'm the lucky one."

"I think he's had enough torture today," Brock commented as he turned off the kettle and pushed away from the kitchen bench. "I'll get the others going now. We should be back tomorrow around lunch time."

"Ah, ok," Tracey murmured in surprise as she began to follow Brock out of the kitchen, but she grabbed the back of his shirt shyly, pulling him back. "Brock?"

Brock turned around to face her as he raised an eyebrow in question. "Hmm?"

"Thank you...for taking this so well," Tracey said softly as she curled a strand of forest green hair behind her ear, giving off the appearance that she's embarrassed and a little bit guilty. "I didn't mean to hide for so long, it's just...it's a long story."

"It's alright; you don't have to explain now," Brock said as he raised a hand to stop her from continuing. He lowered his hand after a moment and gave her a serious look. "But you know Ash and Misty will find out one day."

Once again, Tracey twisted her hands in front of her, her guilty embarrassment increasing. "Are you going to tell them?" she asked softly with a tone of sadness.

The tone of vulnerability in Tracey's voice surprised Brock a little and he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's not my place to say anything."

"Thank you," Tracey said as she bowed her head in gratitude before straightening and smiling brightly. "I'll tell them when I'm ready, I promise."

"Good, it would be a crime for a beautiful young woman like yourself to hide away like this," he said, chuckling softly when he earned himself an embarrassed blush from the secret female in front of him. He realized that he was treading dangerous ground, especially with a possessive Gary close by, but he could not help himself; Tracey was just too adorable when she blushed.

No matter what she said, he was certain that Gary was the lucky on in this relationship.

"Now, we better get going before Gary goes all homicidal on us," Brock joked, but inwardly hoping that he and Misty haven't got into a sparring match. He couldn't hear any Pokemon cries, but that didn't mean much.

"He has always been rather impatient," Tracey said as the two of them walked out into an eerily silent sitting room and they both outwardly winced at the tense atmosphere. Gary and Misty were literally sending each other killer glares in a silent death match as Ash sat in the background, a look of utter confusion on his face while Pikachu seemed oddly unaware of the hostility, happily munching on the left over cookies.

_At least someone was having a good time_, Tracey thought mildly to herself as she silently walked over to Gary and placed a hand on his shoulder, alerting him to her presence. She suddenly felt tired and had to resist the urge to rest her forehead in-between his shoulder blades, as she had done many times before.

Gary immediately dropped his glare and looked over his shoulder, looking directly into her eyes. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking her what happened between her and Brock in his absence.

'He knows', Tracey mouthed to him and he felt himself bristle. She quickly shook her head, however, silently telling him that nothing bad happened and gave him a small smile. A moment later, Gary raised another eyebrow when he overheard Brock telling Ash and Misty that they have to go. There were protests from the two of them, Ash being foremost, but Brock simply shook his head.

"We've imposed long enough today," he said. "We'll come back tomorrow, after both Tracey and Gary get some rest. They've both being busy manning the labs without Prof. Oak here to help."

"Oh," Ash said with a sense of guilt in his voice and even Pikachu made a noise of sympathy. "I didn't realize that. Sorry for barging in on you like this, Tracey."

"Oh no, it's fine," Tracey quickly reassured everyone with a warm smile. "It's nice to see everyone again."

"We'll give you a heads up next time, ok?" Misty said as she picked up her carry bag and slung it over her shoulder. "Gary might stop sulking if we do that."

Gary narrowed his eyes as he 'tch' at her. "I don't sulk."

Once again, Misty merely rolled her eyes. "Of course," she said. "You brood with a pout on your lips, sorry."

"You're pushing your luck," Gary said through gritted teeth, unwilling to let Misty gloat in the satisfaction that she got under his skin, yet wanted her to know that she was treading dangerous ground.

"I find it good exercise," Misty responded through her own gritted teeth, a forced smile on her lips.

"Ok, that's enough bantering for today," Tracey said as she pushed her way in-between the two and tried to calm the situation from escalating further.

Taking a short moment to continue to glare at each other, the two hot-headed teens finally turn away, both of them adorning expressions of annoyance. The small group then made their way over to the front door, Tracey seeing them out as Gary lingered in the background, silently urging them to make their goodbyes short as possible.

As he stepped through the door, Brock suddenly turned around and took Tracey's hands in his once again. "I hope the rest of your day is as radiant as your smile," he said brightly.

"Oh, thank you," Tracey muttered as she gave him yet another embarrassed smile.

Immediately, Gary was by Tracey's side. "That's enough Romeo," he ordered with a hiss as he wrapped an arm around Tracey's shoulders, possessively drew her against his side and placed a hand on Brock's chest in a sign of warning. "Now get out!"

"Alright, we're going!" Misty said loudly in begrudging defeat while Brock looked mildly amused. "Jeez, you don't need to be so rude."

Ash quickly shared a look with Pikachu, who was perched on her shoulder like usual, both of them having no idea what was wrong with their friends. "We'll see you tomorrow, Tracey, ok?"

"Sure Ash!" Tracey said brightly as she tilted her head to the side. "Sorry about Gary's mood. Like I said, he's been working hard."

"You take good care of Gary now, Tracey," Brock said with a wink as the three travelling companions began trekking down the path out of Oak Laboratories.

"I will," Tracey said as she waved, laughing ever so softly at the utter confusion on Gary's face. "See you guys tomorrow!"

With that, she silently closed the door, causing the tense muscles in Gary's body to relax and he breathed a deep sigh of relief.

"Finally, I thought they'll never leave," he grumbled as he locked the door quickly, not wanting any further interruptions. He then turned to Tracey and gave her a very sly, slightly predatory look. "Now, where were we?"

All Tracey was able to do was utter a small squeak of protest before Gary took her into his arms and kissed her soundly on the lips, ceasing any protest. She immediately felt herself fall into his arms, her hands snaking up to rest on his shoulders, letting him control this moment. She then uttered a soft contented sigh as Gary swept her up into his arms and carried her to the nearest bedroom.

Well, she did promise that Gary could have his way with her after their guests leave, didn't she?


	5. Chapter 5

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Thanks so much to CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing. Sorry for taking so long to update this story, I haven't forgotten it (ah, obviously ^^), I have no excuse other than wanting to write down many other story ideas that were floating around in this sparsely populated head of mine.

I hope you enjoy the latest chapter. Comments and suggestions are always greatly appreciated.

* * *

Chapter 5:

Blinking open his eyes against the bright morning light, Gary released a groan of annoyance, not wanting to get up just yet. He was far too comfortable and warm, his muscles relaxed and free of all tension. However, when a warm weight next to him moved softly, Gary could not help but open his eyes, becoming awake.

Looking down to his right, a soft smile graced his lips at the sight of Tracey sleeping soundly next to him. She had her head resting on his chest, her arm draped across his stomach as a thin bed sheet folded to the natural curves of her naked body. Her forest green hair was in slight disarray, but it looked good on her, the pink headband gone, thrown to the side in their passion for one another.

Her tanned and smooth face still had a slightly flustered appearance to it, yet she wore a look of contentment as well.

Gazing down at her, Gary couldn't help but marvel at how he could have found someone like her to love as much as she did him. He was a loner by nature, sarcastic and a bit too argumentative, while Tracey was quite, self consciously and saintly polite. They were opposites, yet complimented each other so well.

He loves being intimate with her; the way their bodies move together as if they were made just for each other, the way they wordlessly communicated as they touched and caressed where none even dared before. He loved the way her warm body moulded against his as they traded kisses, hands grasping the others, the whisper of sheets as they moved as one. Every touch, every movement was prolonged deliberately as there was no need to hurry.

He just couldn't get enough of how Tracey would furrow her brow in pleasure and cling desperately to his shoulders, moaning and whimpering his name in such endearment. She wasn't particularly loud, but as she reached toward climax, her voice would grow in pitch.

And he just loved how she would arch her back and cry out his name when they both reached their peak.

However, since they are both living with his grandfather who had hearing like Tracey's Marill, they weren't able to become intimate as much as he would like. They had to wait for the Professor to leave on business matters or when he visited Delia with news about Ash.

They had to be careful with him around, the old man was getting suspicious, Gary was sure. He knows that he should just tell Gramps so they won't have to hide anymore, but a small part of him wasn't looking forward to the embarrassing talk about how they needed to practice safe sex or something.

And he did not want to hear the story of how he met his wife and realized she was the one all those years ago.

As much as he loved being intimate with Tracey, he also loved the morning after; she always looked so peaceful and serene in the mornings. She was definitely a morning person, while Gary wasn't unless he woke up with Tracey in his arms.

Before, he could never understand how someone could be so damn cheerful in the morning, Tracey and Gramps being the most joyful offenders, but after falling asleep together as they snuggled on the couch and waking up in each other's arms, the early morning sunlight giving Tracey an angelic appearance to her, Gary realized that mornings weren't that bad.

In fact, he actually wanted to wake up before Tracey just so he could watch her as she slept.

A gentle movement next to him pulled Gary out of his thoughts and he turned his attention back to the young woman in his arms, watching as her raven coloured eyes fluttered open and she peered around in a sleepy daze. She then tilted her head back to look up at him and a warm smile immediately made its way onto her lips.

"Morning," she whispered as she nestled her head under his chin, cuddling up close to him.

Gary made a humming noise of contentment and tightened his hold on her. "Morning," he whispered in reply, and the two of them relaxed, neither one willing to move just yet. However, they knew they had to at some point in time.

"We should probably get up," Tracey said with disappointment laced in her voice.

"Do we have to?" Gary muttered and buried his face in her hair, drawing in a deep to inhale her delicious scent.

Tracey couldn't help but release a small giggle as she liked it when Gary nuzzled his cheek in her hair like that. "I'm afraid so."

As Tracey slowly sat up, she pressed the thin sheet against her chest, doing very little to hide her feminine bust and presented her back toward him as she stretched her free arm over her head. Her back was smooth, flawless and a beautiful golden brown, natural he came to realize as she didn't sunbath at all.

However, there was a tiny little marking that was on her left shoulder blade. It appeared to be a thin scar a couple of inches long, seemingly made by something very sharp.

Gary had seen that scar before multiple times, yet never asked her about it, and she never really mentioned it, even when he trailed his fingertips long it and kiss it softly. She wouldn't wince at the touch or cringe at a memory, so he deduced that there wasn't a sob story behind this scar. That or she had accepted it already and wanted to forget about it.

Still, he had to ask. The curiosity was incredibly annoying.

"Trace," he said as he scooted forward and placed a few kisses on her bare shoulders, his hands moving to rest on her upper arms to pull her back toward him. "Can I ask...?"

"Hmm?" Tracey hummed as she let her eyes slip close, relishing in the way Gary was scattering kisses over her naked skin. "What is it?"

"That scar on your shoulder," he said as he suddenly pulled back and trailed his fingertips over it again. "Where did you get it?"

"Oh, that old thing?" Tracey said with a light chuckle and opened her eyes to regard him with a smile. "It was just me being clumsy again. I misjudged a Scyther's Slash Attack years ago when I was just starting out as a Pokemon Watcher."

Gary found himself frowning and continued to gently touch the gradually fading scar. A Scyther's Slash Attack? He didn't like the sound of that. That situation could have easily been worst and he found that thought terrifying.

"You need to be more careful," he said as he tried to recall if there were any more scars littering that sexy body of hers.

"And I have," Tracey quickly pointed out, still smiling warmly at the protective concern Gary always directed toward her. It made her feel important and wanted when Gary fussed over her like that. She felt so lucky to even be included in the life of some so handsome and talented, let alone actually being with him. She loves him dearly and just loved being with him, no matter what they're doing or where they are.

"I'm not sporting any more scars, am I?" she asked as she leaned against him, where Gary immediately wrapped his arms around her.

That was true, for if she did have more scarring, Gary would have noticed them by now. He was well informed in the ways of Tracey's body; he could tell her moods just by studying her body language. And he knew how to make her literally melt into his arms with just one touch.

"Hmm," Gary mumbled as he nuzzled his cheek against her hair. "None that I saw last night, but it wouldn't hurt to give you a thorough inspection, would it?"

Tracey immediately blush a bright red and made a small whimpering noise, but she quickly shook her head and tried to push away. "Not now," she said as she appeared flustered. "Don't forget Ash and company are returning today."

A growl escaped Gary's throat and he appeared to twitch in annoyance. "How could I forget..." he mumbled.

"Let's get up and have a shower," Tracey said as she started to detach herself from Gary's arms, the bed sheet still wrapped around her naked body. Despite all of Gary's reassurances that she had a great figure, she was still body conscious and felt out of her depth whenever she wore something that wasn't at least a little bit baggy.

Although, she has gotten better. Her clothing are not nearly as large for her slender frame like she used to wear.

Gary grumbled something incoherent under his breath about annoying brats but he, too, slipped his legs over the side of the bed and went about finding his discarded boxers to slip on to hide his own nakedness. He watched as Tracey gathered some clothing from her closet, they couldn't make it to Gary's room last night, and then made her way swiftly to the bathroom, shutting the door out of habit behind her.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Gary stretched his long frame until he heard several satisfying cracks and lazily scratched the back of his head. He pushed himself to his feet and then gathered the rest of Tracey's bed sheets, still presenting the evidence of their sensual activities last night. With a smirk of self-satisfaction, Gary trudged his way down the stairs and into the laundry, placing the sheets in the washing machine and turning it on. He then made his way back upstairs to wait outside the bathroom as he heard the water shut off.

And soon enough, the door open and stepping out of the mist like steam like a siren was Tracey, a towel in her hands as she gently patted her hair dry.

Once again, Tracey was wearing a pair of shorts that ended just above her knees and sat perfectly on her hips, a sleeveless aqua green hoodie without the zipper was her choice of shirt. The colour aqua green suited her so well, amplifying her attractive golden skin and silky soft forest green hair.

However, Gary found himself frowning when he realized that Tracey was wearing those god forsaken bandages around her chest that often at times restricted her breathing when she exerted herself too much. He hated them so much and loathed it when she wore them.

As if sensing the waves of disapproval in her direction, Tracey turned around and offered him a small smile. "It's only for a short time," she said in a reassuring tone. "I'll take them off again when they leave."

Gary didn't want her to wear them at all, but conceded to her pleading eyes and nodded. "Fine, but they're only staying for a few hours. We do have some work that needs to be done today."

"Yes, I know," Tracey replied as she cast a quick glance to one of the labs, knowing all too well she still had important data that needed to be submitted into the computers. That should take a couple of hours at least.

As much as she loved being the assistant to Professor Oak, she didn't like the desk jobs and data crunching. She preferred the fresh air and actually mingling with the Pokemon outside in the warm sun. She hated being locked inside all day.

"Why don't you have a quick shower and I'll start breakfast?" she suggested, noting that Gary wore nothing but his boxers, and as sexy as he looked, his attire wasn't appropriate for hosting of guests. Although, he did have an amazing six-pack that wasn't overly obviously, but showed that he was fit and tone nonetheless. His body was taut and flawless, not an ounce of fat to be seen anyway.

A light blush appeared on Tracey's cheeks when she realized she was staring and Gary was smirking in her direction. Seriously, though, how could she not stare?

"We can't have the others seeing you like this," she stuttered lightly. "They'll definitely ask too many questions."

"Perhaps," Gary muttered as he folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the wall. "But at least it'll get Brock to back off."

Once again, Tracey found his possessiveness toward her endearing and she smiled at him. "Brock is harmless."

"Harmless my ass," Gary muttered darkly, his face twisting into a scowl. "He flirted with you."

"It was only flirting if I flirted back," Tracey quickly pointed out, leaving out the fact that she wasn't sure how to flirt with someone other than Gary, himself, anyway. "And I didn't."

Gary felt himself calm down at her words and nodded, satisfied with her answer. She always knew just the right thing to say to dispel practically all of his anger and irritation.

"Don't worry, everything was civilized," she carried on to reassure. "He was just letting me know that he knows about my gender."

"How the hell did he work that out?" Gary asked as he felt a mild sense of irritation return to him.

Tracey shrugged lightly. "Something about a lady detector," she replied, opting to leave out the sexy lady part as she was sure Brock was joking and that Gary would become annoyed at the older male again.

"He really does have a built in Pretty Girl radar, doesn't he?" Gary muttered bitterly before a smirk graced his lips and he pushed away from the wall, wrapping his arms around Tracey's frame once again. "Too bad for him this pretty girl is taken."

Tracey blushed at the compliment, but remains silent, letting her eyes slip close as Gary leaned down and pressed his lips against hers in a tender kiss. She rested her hands on bare his chest as his hands slipped down her back to rest on her hips, pulling their bodies closer.

The kiss lingered for a moment before the two of them pulled away with a sigh of mild disappointment, or in Gary's case, utter annoyance, as they are well aware that their guests could arrive at any minute. Brock did say they would be back around midday, but knowing how impatience Ash could be, they'll just pop by sooner rather than later.

"You better get dressed," Tracey said softly as she turned her gaze downwards shyly. "Coffee should be ready by the time you are finished."

"Right," Gary said as he removed his grip on his prefect girlfriend and trudged to his room to gather the clothes he was wearing today and quickly made his way to the bathroom.

The shower was quick, merely a quick wash down of the soap and rough massage with the shampoo in his hair. He had to do very little with his hair, as it was naturally spiky, although some mornings, it looked like a bird's nest and Tracey had to delicately help him with all the knots. His hair could be a right pain in the ass, but he liked it all the same. And Tracey seemed to like his hair as well.

Shutting off the water and drying himself, Gary pulled on a pair of loose black jeans that was a size too big and a dark red sleeveless shirt with the word 'Rebel' written across it in black. He then slipped on a black button up shirt, leaving it to hang open in a casual look.

Leaving his hair to dry on its own, Gary left the bathroom and made his way to the kitchen, only to linger in the doorway to watch as Tracey hum quietly to herself as she pottered around in the kitchen. The sun shining through the kitchen window touched her face, amplifying her natural angelic look. Gwad, she was really beautiful, he couldn't wait to take her into his arms again.

Oh, they still have at least a couple of hours to themselves, right?

Suddenly, the front door swung open and three youths, plus one bright yellow Pikachu, all tumbled in. They all had bright and friendly smiles on their faces, utterly happy to be alive on this fine sunny morning.

"Hey guys!" Ash said loudly as they invited themselves in and immediately swarm their way around Tracey, who seemed surprised to see them. "We tried to ring, but you weren't picking up the phone."

"So we decided to pop by and see if everything is alright." Misty explained in a surprisingly gentle, but friendly voice, but she lost her gentleness when she sent a sly look in Gary's direction.

Brock immediately took Tracey's hands in his and gave her a very charming smile. "I must say Tracey; you look absolutely stunning this morning," he exclaimed rather loudly.

Tracey released a small, nervous chuckle. "Er, thanks?"

Gary literally felt himself twitch in utter irritation as the three _intruders_ gathered around _his_ girlfriend, drawing _her_ attention away from _him_ and pulling _them_ apart. And the worst part was, two of them _knew_ what they were doing and doing it so that it _annoyed_ him.

Oh, this day was **not** going to end well...


	6. Chapter 6

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Thanks so much to MetalPrincess13, Virgo Writer and CleverPhoenix for reviewing. I'd like to apologize for the crappiness of this chapter. I'm not exactly happy with it, but I can't see any other way to improve it. Sorry again, I hope you enjoy reading it nonetheless.

Comments and suggestions are always useful and well received. Thanks in advance.

* * *

Chapter 6:

Gary was steadily losing patience. He never had much to begin with, but what little patience he had left, it was slowly dissipating. Which was not a good sign for those who were involved with the demise of his patience.

In other words; if Ash, Misty and Brock don't vacate the premises soon, things are likely to break out into a Pokemon battle free for all.

And he'll kick all their asses, of course.

He was once again in the lounge room, sitting in the furthest chair from the group, his back turned to them as they talk amongst themselves merrily, just like they did yesterday. His eyebrow was twitching as he rested his chin in the palm of his hand, glaring gloomily out the large windows.

Just like he did yesterday...

What was making him lose his patience even more was the fact that Brock was overly friendly with Tracey, outwardly complimenting her while a subtle hint of flirting in the undertone. He wasn't doing it in such a way that made the other's question his sudden change of sexual preference, just appearing as if he and Tracey was such good friend. He was a shrewd guy that much was for sure.

And what really made Gary bristle was the fact that Tracey was blushing ever so cutely. He was the only person who should make her blush; she was his girlfriend after all, dammit!

To make matters even worse, while Ash stayed oblivious, Misty seemed to be encouraging Brock. He wasn't sure if Misty knew about Tracey's true gender, but she was making little suggestions and comments, causing Brock to laugh and place an arm around Tracey's shoulders to tell her a tale of a search for love gone wrong in a very dramatic way.

Oh, Gary was certain they were doing it to annoy him. And it was working...

The only reason why he hasn't snapped yet was because Tracey seemed to enjoy her friend's company, and he would never purposely do anything to make her upset. He hated it when she was sad about something; her usually bright eyes would become dull, her facial appearance blank and downcast. She would never tell anyone she was upset as she preferred not to be the centre of attention, but he could tell when something was bothering her; her smiles weren't as sincere or bright.

Glancing over his shoulder, Gary was quick enough to see yet another sly expression appear on Misty's face and she shared a quick look with Brock. "Hey, Brock, why don't you and Tracey make us some more of those cookies we had yesterday? They were delicious!"

Gary immediately bristled in his seat at the thought of Brock being in the same kitchen as his Tracey, and he abruptly turned around in his seat, inwardly growling as he glared daggers at his guests, who were quickly overstaying their welcome.

The spiky haired male nodded his head once and climbed to his feet. "Good idea, Misty."

Suddenly, Gary sprung to his feet as well, a dark presence hanging over his shoulders. "We haven't got any more ingredients," he hissed dangerously.

Without thinking, Tracey took to her feet as well and stepped in front of Gary, her hands in front of her in a calming, soothing motion, silently telling him that their guests mean no harm. "Calm down, Gary," she said softly.

Gary had to clench his hands into fists to stop himself from abruptly pulling Tracey into his arms, crushing her against his chest while he snarled the others, ordering them to get out. That action would only lead them to asking more questions, wasting more of his time.

"What's wrong, Gary?" Misty asked in a sickly sweet voice.

Snapping his attention to the orange-haired female, Gary narrowed his eyes at her. "You're really pushing it," he said seemingly through gritted teeth.

Misty quickly took to her feet as well, her hands on her slender hips, her sea green eyes narrowed slightly as well. "I would stop pushing it if I knew what **it** was."

Gary sniffed and stuck his nose into the air. Ok, so maybe Misty doesn't know about Tracey's true gender. "You know very well what **it** is."

"No," Misty said as she removed her hands from her hips and folded them over her bust. "Tell me the wonders of **it**."

"All I'm going to tell you is that you're really pushing **it**," Gary hissed as he pointed an accusing finger at her.

"Guys, what's going on?" Ash asked, once again noticing the tension in the room and how Gary seemed to be in the middle of it. "You two have been niggling at each other since we arrived yesterday. Did I miss something?"

"Nothing," both Misty and Gary said at the exact same time, staring each other down in a showdown of some kind, never taking their eyes off one another as the stood tense and annoyed.

Suddenly, the unfamiliar sound of helicopter blades cutting through the air caught everyone's attention and they all stilled. They shared a look of perplexity between them, their brows furrowing in a sense of concern. Then, the windows burst open from the pressure of the wind outside and a black helicopter with the letters T and R written in red on the side appeared in view. The windows were thickly tinted so they could not see who was piloting the machine.

Gary immediately growled and shielded Tracey from the majority of the wind as she subconsciously grabbed onto the front of his shirt in surprise, his annoying kicking up a notch when he realizes that his day is about to get even worse.

As the helicopter came to a gentle landing a few yards away from Oak Laboratories, two figures, one with bright orange hair, the other a dark brownish/blackish colour, stepped out of the cockpit. Getting ready to belt out their annoying introduction by moving their bodies into their usual poses in a very overly dramatic way.

Great, it's Team Rocket. What else could go wrong today?!

_**To infect the world with devastation! **_

_**To ignite all peoples within our nation! **_

_**To denounce the goodness of truth and love! **_

_**To extend our wrath to the stars above! **_

_**Cassidy! **_

_**Butch! **_

_**We're Team Rocket circling the earth all day and night! **_

_**Surrender to us now or you will surely lose to the fight!**_

During the now world know introduction, Tracey had managed to run off and press an emergency switch that automatically locks the labs down from intruders, while the others scrambled out the windows, ready for the impending battle that will surely follow.

"It's Team Rocket!" Ash said with a sense of surprise in his voice, to which Gary could only roll his eyes. He didn't have to wait until after their introduction to know who they were. True, he hadn't seen them, especially these two, for a while, but they were still frequently annoying.

"I can't believe that after all this time, they're still following us," Misty muttered as she pressed the palm of her hand to her forehead, her posture slumping forward in frustration.

"Wow, haven't seen you guys around much lately," Brock said as he placed a hand on his hip and looked at the two Rocket members with a sense of mild interest. "Been on holiday?"

"Yeah!" Butch said as he scratched the back of his head and laughed a little. "We went to this-"

"Shut it!" Cassidy said, grabbing his by the ear as she successfully interrupted him from saying any more. "We're not here to gossip, we've got important work to do!"

Butch grimaced and then rubbed his ear when she released it from her grip. "Sorry."

Tracey had only dealt with Team Rocket a few times since becoming Prof. Oak's assistance and she's almost forgot about them, unlike the others. She also wasn't paying that much attention to their speech before. "Wait, it's Cassidy and Butch, isn't it?" she said, remembering the two of them from previous experiences, she two moving to step outside for battle.

Butch immediately bristled, ready to repeat his name in annoyance as everyone seemed to get his name wrong. "My name is...wait..." he mumbled as something dawned on him and he gaped at Tracey in disbelief. "You said it. You actually said my name!" he suddenly leapt away from the helicopter and took her two hands in his, tears sparkling in his eyes. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Er, you're welcome?" Tracey replied in a questioning tone, startled by Butch's reaction to her.

"I've waited so long for someone to get my name right," Butch said with tears now flowing down his cheeks like a waterfall. "You have no idea how happy you've made me."

Tracey gave him a shaky and forced smile as she tried to tug her hands away from his. He was kinda creeping her out. "Um, that's nice..."

Gary once again found himself bristling in anger and he wasted no time hurrying over to Tracey, ripping her hands out of the Rocket's and pressing her to his side as he literally pushed the older male to the ground. "Hey, back off Buffo, or whatever the hell you're name is!" he snarled with a sense of possessiveness, his eyes narrowed and fierce.

"It's Butch!" Butch yelled, he too bristling.

"I don't care what you're name is, just back off!"

"Well, someone is protective," Cassidy suddenly commented with a smirk and pulled out a Pokeball, her green eyes trained on Tracey. "You seem like the best person to start with. Go Houndour, steal his Pokemon!"

Gary immediately reacted, grabbing a Pokeball of his own and pushing Tracey behind him. "Watch it! Umbreon use Tackle Attack now!"

"Don't forget about me," Butch sniggered as he released a Pokemon of his own. "Let's go, Mightyena!"

Tracey glanced up just in time to see a black and gray coloured wolf type Pokemon emerge from its Pokeball. She knew immediately how dangerous this type of Pokemon was, and with a Team Rocket member as its trainer, it was no surprise. However, she refused to call upon her own Pokemon as Marill, Venonat or Scyther wouldn't be any match. Marill and Venonat are specially trained tracking Pokemon, they're not cut out for battles, and Scyther is getting on in years, she wouldn't want anything bad to happen to it.

There was a suddenly flash of white and Tracey unconsciously released a noise of surprise and jumped back. Thankfully, though, as she stumbled back but managing to stay on her feet in a defensive position, she dodged Mightyena's attack, but by only the skin of her teeth, it seemed.

She really should go back to her watcher training. Gary and Prof. Oak has spoilt her, it seemed.

She lifted her head, her brow furrowing when she realized that Mightyena was circling again, seemingly irritated that its attack missed. Tracey immediately tenses, relying on her years as a Pokemon trainer to predict its next move.

"Hey, stop using your Pokemon to attack people!" Ash's voice suddenly called out, causing Mightyena's ears to turn in the direction of his voice, but never taking its eyes off Tracey. "Let's go, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Pika!"

Hearing the command, Tracey managed to jump back, not wanting to be anywhere near Mightyena when Pikachu struck it with its thunderbolt attack.

The ever amazing Pikachu dutifully leapt from Ash's shoulder into the air, curling its tiny paws into fists and shuts its eyes tightly. A moment later, its cheeks began to glow as the air sparked and crackled. "Pika-chu~!"

And as usual, Pikachu's attack was dead on, striking Mightyena, causing it to fall onto the ground, its eyes swirling with confusion.

"Tracey!" Gary called out with concern and alarm in his voice as he stood a few yards away, Umbreon dealing with Houndour. "Are you alright?"

Tracey took a moment to lean against her knees to catch her breath. "Yeah," she said as she breathed a sigh of relief and straightened her posture, a reassuring smile on her lips. "I guess I'm getting a little rusty."

"Shit," Gary suddenly cursed, giving her his full attention. "Your shirt..."

"Huh?"

"Tracey!" Ash called out as he, Misty and Brock made their way over to her, appearing ready to shield her from more attacks if necessary.

"Are you ok?" Misty asked, but then paused; her eyes becoming wide and she stared at her in blatant shock.

Ash quickly followed with an expression of shock as well. "Why do you have...?" he began to comment on the bandages around her chest, but as he continued to stare, he realized that they were used not for healing purposes, but for hiding and binding purposes.

"Wah!" he exclaimed as he fell back in shock and scrambled away, pointing a shaky finger in her direction. "Tracey, you're a girl!"

Tracey reeled back in surprise and abruptly looked down to her chest, her eyes widening when she realized that her shirt has been torn, jagged ripping exposing the skin coloured bandages wrapped tightly in a binding way around her chest. It must have happened when Mightyena lunged at her; those claws are awfully sharp.

Immediately, she took a step back and wrapped her arms over her chest, trying to hide the thick wadding around her chest that were, thankfully, still in one piece. Ash and Misty were both staring at her with their expressions adorning nothing but shock; Ash literally gaping at her like a fish out of water. Brock, on the other hand, was busy trying to determined his companions reactions, wondering if he should say anything to them at this point in time.

This was not how Tracey wanted the two of them to know...

"Nice to see you've noticed," Gary hissed as he suddenly appeared by Tracey's side. He whipped his overlaying black shirt off of his person and placed them around Tracey's shoulders, offering her a bit of coverage. He then placed his hands on the small of her back and pulled her protectively into him arms, pressing her against his chest.

"Gary?" Tracey whispered with her voice uncharacteristically shaky as she curled her hands in the material of his shirt.

"It's ok," Gary said in a soothing voice as he ducked Tracey's head under his chin, but his eyes blazing in an expression of anger, glaring with such hatred at the two Team Rocket members who were staring at them with blank confusion. "I'll take it from here."

"B-but..." Ash stuttered, unable to find the words to express his shock at that exact moment, Misty, for once, oddly silent in the background. "How long as Tracey been-?"

Gary narrowed his eyes in Ash's direction, subtly telling him that he was in no mood to deal with him. "She's been a girl her whole life, genius."

"That wasn't the question I was going to ask!" Ash practically yelled as he jumped to his feet and pointed an accusing finger at Tracey, who in turn winced and pressed herself further into Gary's comforting arms. "Why is she-?"

"This is neither the time nor the place to discuss such matters," Gary said sternly as he once again interrupted him. Umbreon had moved to stand in front of him, bristling in anger that the enemy's Pokemon tried to harm its master's mate. Gary looked at his loyal and beloved Pokemon, knowing that all his Pokemon was as fond as Tracey as he was.

"We have a problem with Team Rocket at the moment, if you don't remember," Gary continued, not even bothering to look in Ash's direction, instead keeping his focus on the task at hand. "We'll talk later."

"Wow, these twerps are weird," Cassidy commented as she looked at the now young woman in Gary's arms, completely befuddled why anyone would hide their gender like she was.

"Yeah," Butch said as he nodded his head in agreement, he too staring at Tracey. He narrowed his eyes suddenly and scratched his chin. "She's kinda cute, though."

Immediately, a scowl appeared on Cassidy's face and lifted up her arm to literally smack some sense into her partner, planting him face first into the ground. "She's the enemy! How dare you even say such a thing?!"

"Sorry," Butch muttered wearily as he nursed his throbbing head between his two hands, squatting on the ground.

"Grr, we can't let these buffoons take the Pokemon," Gary growled, watching the two with distaste. He had heard Buffo's (or whatever his name was) comments on Tracey being cute. That deserved a Double Slap alone!

"Gary?" Tracey said as she pushed gently against his chest so she could look up into his face.

"What?" Gary said softly as he reluctantly loosened his grip.

"I have an idea."


	7. Chapter 7

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in hiding, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokémon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Hello again everyone. Thanks so much to kaitouahiru, MetalPrincess13 and CleverPhoenix for reviewing the last chapter. You have my eternal gratitude ^^

Yep, I decided to use Butch and Cassidy simply because they don't get used much in other fics and in the Anime they were always interfering with Oak Labs. Glad they were received so well ^^ I also hope you like this chapter as it has a tiny bit of action and drama.

Suggestions and comments are always welcomed. Hope to hear from you all again very soon.

* * *

Chapter 7:

Feeling Gary's shielding arms wrap around her and pull her flush against his chest, Tracey immediately pressed herself closer to him, ducking her head under his chin for a sense of comfort. She could feel the material of his shirt around her shoulders, offering her more protection, giving her a small sense of dignity back. She curled her fingers around the material of Gary's shirt, tears pricking at her eyes when she realized that Gary was having a small argument with Ash about her. She could hear them but she could not pay them very much attention for the disbelief of what just happened.

She could not have predicted this scenario where Ash and Misty finally learnt of her true gender and wished in vain that this was just some sort of a weird dream.

But the sound of Ash's voice holding a sense of anger caused her to wince and realize that there was nothing she could do. Team Rocket had unintentionally exposed her secret and it seemed that Ash wasn't taking the news particularly well. Not that she could blame him, of course.

Suddenly, the realization that Team Rocket was still here and still a threat to the Pokémon caused Tracey to momentarily snap out of her shock induced trance and focused her attention on what was really important; protecting the Pokémon.

She will deal with Ash and Misty's questions later on.

Pushing ever so slightly away from Gary's chest, Tracey swallowed thickly when she noted the angry and annoyed expression on his face, his eyes glaring hatefully at the two Rocket Solders before them. "Gary?"

Gary immediately looked down at her and reluctantly loosened his grip, making sure his shirt stayed around her shoulders as coverage from prying eyes. "What?" he asked in a low and gentle voice, the one he only ever used when she was around or with his Pokémon.

"I have an idea," Tracey explained as she kept her voice low as well, not wanting Team Rocket to overhear them. "They won't stand a chance."

This intrigued Gary as Tracey wasn't normally the one for battles, but then again, she was a Pokémon Water who was able to come up with some great strategies just by observing. "What is it?"

"Well, it's nearing lunch time, isn't it?" Tracey said as she quickly looked at the watch sitting on her wrist, noting that it was in fact a mere few minutes away from twelve o'clock.

"So?" Gary said as he raised a sceptical eyebrow, wondering what the time has to do with anything.

Tracey merely gave him a small smile of fondness and tilted her head to the side cutely. "Snorlax doesn't like to wait for his food," she explained simply.

Gary blinked a few times before a wicked smile appeared on his own lips, immediately understanding what she was referring to. At the Labs they always made sure that the Pokémon get fed at the same time everyday to help them keep a steady routine and to give the Pokémon the best care they could.

"Heh, gotcha," he said as he took a step back, an arm still around Tracey's waist as she continued to lean into his chest and grabbed a Pokeball from his belt. He took a moment to glance around at his surroundings, his eyes immediately being drawn to a food trolley they use to carry specially made food for the Pokémon. And fortunately, it still had some food left over from yesterday.

Perfect.

Turning back to Tracey and motioning to the trolley with a sharp nod of the head, Tracey nodded back and stepped away from Gary as he threw his Pokeball into the space in front of him. "Blastoise use Water Canon to push that food cart into Team Rocket's helicopter!"

As soon as the turtle Pokémon appeared from its Pokeball, it trustingly follows Gary's orders, aiming its canons to pick up the food cart and then not-so gently, delivered it to the interior of the helicopter, the force of the impact rocking the flying machine.

"Now, why would he do that?" Cassidy queried as she placed her hands on her hips, somewhat annoyed that the interior of their expensive getaway was now ruined from the water.

Butch shrugged as the two of them shared a look. "Must be a twerp thing," he replied.

"Great job, Blastoise," Gary said as Blastoise returned to its Pokeball and then turned to Tracey, offering her a smile as she slipped on his shirt to fit her properly. She often threw on one of his shirts whenever she was in a hurry or slept in his room and she looked so good in them.

"Go for it, Trace," he said as he gave her a wink.

"Right," Tracey said as she nodded and then placed two fingers to her lips, releasing a loud whistle which momentarily took everyone by surprise. "Snorlax! Lunch time!"

Suddenly, the earth beneath their feet began to tremble, trees shaking and swaying, flying Pokémon hastily taking to the air in fright. Then, out of the thick forest, bursting through the trees came a certain large, round blue Pokémon, an eager and hungry expression on its face.

"Snor!" Snorlax greeted happily, it's usually closed and sleepy eyes are now wide and open, looking for its beloved food. After all, breakfast, lunch and dinner were its favourite times of the day. Snorlax was always the first Pokémon to arrive on the scene whenever Tracey called out for dinner.

Snorlax could definitely break some speed records if there was a large banquet at the finish line for it.

"Oh no, Snorlax," Tracey said as she looked up at the large Pokémon with concern in her expression. "Team Rocket has stolen all your food."

"Snor?" Snorlax snorted before its eyes suddenly took on an evil red colour and it snapped its attention to the two Team Rocket members. It suddenly moved to tower over the two of them, appearing ten times bigger with a lightning bolt appearing literally out of the blue behind it, its eyes still a deadly red colour. "Snor~lax!"

Cassidy and Butch literally leapt into each other's arms at the loud, booming roar, trembling with fear, clearly scared and intimidated by what this hungry Pokémon could do to them. It was clear that this Pokémon was not a happy little Pokémon at all.

"Er, nice Snorlax," Butch said with a shaky voice.

"There's plenty of food to go round," Cassidy added, which did very little to sooth the raging Pokémon.

While Team Rocket were scared out of their wits, Misty, Ash and Brock simply deadpanned in the back ground, slightly impressed at how the atmosphere seemed to become electric and dangerous all of a sudden.

"Wow," Misty muttered with a weary half-grin on her lips as she tried to suppress a shiver. "That's pretty intimidating."

"I didn't know Snorlax could do Scary Face," Ash muttered, equally intimidated as Pikachu clung to his arm in fright. "Pika..."

Brock, however, looked at the scene with a look of interest, appearing in thought as he tapped his chin. "Oh, I get what they're trying to do," he said after a moment as he hit his hand with his fist. "That's really clever."

"Quick, Snorlax, use Hyper Beam!" Tracey commanded as she threw out an arm, pointing at the two Rocket members.

"Snor..." This was an order Snorlax was happy to follow as it took a deep breath, its mouth opening wide and began to gather energy in its gaping jaws. As soon as it had gathered enough, Snorlax wasted no time in releasing its pent up power straight at the two troublemakers. "Lax!"

If there was one thing Snorlax hated, it was people messing with its food!

Of course, the Hyper Beam was true to its aim, striking the helicopter dead centre, a huge explosion soon erupting afterwards, the craft with two humans and two Pokémon flying gracefully through the air.

"Who knew that the first person to remember my name would be an intelligent girl like her?" Butch commented as he flew through the air, his hair and clothes singed from the attack, their helicopter that was blown to a million different pieces of the force of the attack floating around them.

"Oh, put a sock in it!" Cassidy yelled, squirming in midair as she was not looking forward to the sudden stop at the end of their flight. "Wait until I see that twerp again! I'll make her pay for this!"

"Team Rocket is blasting off again!"

_Ding._

"Great job, Snorlax," Tracey immediately congratulated the still seething Pokémon, walking unafraid over to it and giving the large Pokémon a bright smile, clearly proud of how well he handled the two trespassers. "You were amazing."

Snorlax suddenly slumped forward, waterfall tears running down its face as it turned to Tracey, giving her a sad and pathetic look. "Snor..." it whimpered, its lips quivering.

"Don't worry, I'll get you something to eat right away," Tracey quickly reassured the large Pokémon, patting it on the stomach in a soothing notion. "You've definitely earned it this time."

The large blue Pokémon immediately perked up, returning to its happy and blissfully sleepy state before yawning widely and falling backwards, hitting the ground with a loud, earth trembling thud. It fell straight to sleep, soft snores being emitted at intervals.

"Right after you have a quick nap," Tracey giggled, momentarily forgetting that one of her biggest secrets was just exposed.

"Brilliant idea, Trace," Gary said as he made his way over to her, looking at the sleeping Pokémon with a sense of fondness of his own. "I doubt Team Rocket will be back for a while."

"I think we're forgetting something," Brock's sullen voice suddenly interrupted and Tracey turned around to face him, only to see Ash looking at her with betrayal in his eyes. It suddenly dawned on her about the bandages around her chest and she immediately pulled Gary's shirt tighter over her chest.

"You...lied to us," Ash said softly, uncharacteristically serious and sombre.

Tracey could have sworn her heart just stopped. "No, I..." she stuttered as she shook her head, tears once again pricking at her eyes.

Gary instantly bristled at the accusation and pulled Tracey protectively against his side, his blue eyes dark and narrow as he held her in his protective grip. Umbreon also hissed and moved to stand in front of her, hackles raised in an expression of displeasure. Umbreon was fond of its master's mate as she was nice and gave her special treats. Besides, she also made Gary, its master, very happy.

"She did no such thing," Gary snarled back, forcing Ash to reel back slightly in surprise and give him a look of shock and confusion.

"But..." he started, but paused when Tracey drew in a shaky breath and hastily rubbed at her eyes.

"No, he's right," she said as she ran a hand over her face, trying to stop tears from escaping her eyes. "It's understandable that he's upset. I..."

"Let's talk inside, ok?" Brock suggested as it was clear as day that the newly ousted female was becoming very upset, which was very understandable.

"After she gets changed and prepares herself," Gary quickly interjected, his grip not wavering or loosening at all. "I won't have you gang up on her when she's not ready."

Tracey sunk against his side, tiredly wrapping her arms around her body in a sense of self-comfort. "Gary..." she whispered as she hid her eyes with a veil of dark green hair. Suddenly, one of her Pokeballs popped open and after a quick flash of light, a certain mouse Pokemon appeared in all its cute glory, appearing as because it could feel Tracey's anxiety.

"Marill!" the water mouse said as it frowned at the three humans with disapproval and quickly paddled over to Tracey, jumping up effortlessly into her arms, snuggling into her chest. Tracey immediately pulled Marill close, nuzzling against her for comfort. "Marill..."

"Let's go," Gary said to Tracey as he began to lead her away, his narrowed eyes of frustration never leaving Ash's face. He was annoyed with his childhood friend/rival and his reaction to Tracey's true gender. He thought that after all the adventures and wondrous sights he's seen, he'd be a bit more open-minded.

"They can wait in the lounge room," he continued to whisper words of comfort with Umbreon hot on his heels but then paused when he was about to pass Brock, nailing him with a glare. "If they say a thing against her, I will know."

If Brock was intimidated by the glare, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply nodded his head once. "I doubt that they will, but I'll make sure either way."

"Good. If she cries, I'm kicking their ass," he said stiffly before pulling Tracey closer against him and lead her gently back inside, out of the sight of the others.

Brock waited until the Oak grandson was out of sight before releasing a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She wasn't kidding when she said he was protective," he muttered under his breath before a look of understanding appeared on his face. "Then again, I would be too."

"Brock?" Misty gently prodded with her elbow.

"Let's go inside and wait," Brock said as he straightened his posture, giving Ash a look that was a mixture of being disappointed and understanding. "Let's give her some room."

-----------------------------------

To say Gary was livid was an understatement; he was literally seething in his skin. As he helped Tracey back inside, his heart clenched when he felt her body tremble under his hands even though she tried to suppress it.

As soon as they stepped into her bedroom, Gary closed the door and pulled her in for a kiss, successfully halting a sob from escaping her throat. They stayed like this for a few moments, their lips simply pressed against each others as Tracey clung to him, her quivering body slowly lessening.

"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled away, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder.

Running a hand through her hair, Gary leaned down and brushed his lips against her ear. "It'll be alright," he soothed. "I'll be there."

"I know," Tracey said as she reluctantly pulled away and gave him a weak smile before she turned away from him completely to set to the task of finding a set of clothes to wear.

Gary watched as she pulled out a simple aqua green singlet top followed by a dark blue sleeveless hoodie to wear over it. She then set about removing the shirt that he had given her and then her own tattered shirt, but it was a difficult process as her hands were still trembling from the intensity of her frayed nerves.

Wordlessly, Gary walked over to her, helping Tracey to remove the article of clothing, letting her rest her hands against his chest as he began to remove the loathsome bandages from around her bust. The beige coloured bindings fell to the floor at their feet, neither of them bothered by the fact that Tracey was now naked from the waist up.

Instead, she simply pressed herself against Gary's chest, nuzzling her head under his chin once again. "Gary, this wasn't supposed to happen," she whispered with a hiccup in her voice.

"I know," Gary replied as he ran soothing hands up and down her bare back, holding her as close and as tightly as he could. "Don't cry."

"I'm sorry, I can't help it," Tracey sniffled, biting back a sob as she rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm. "It's just..."

"I know," Gary said again as he kissed the top of her head before pulling her back to look into her eyes, giving her a look that was full of reassurance and defiance. "I won't let them betray you, Trace."

The corner of Tracey's mouth twitched into a small smile and she leaned up on tiptoes to place a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank you," she said as she once again pulled away only to take the moment to slip her chosen articles of clothing over her naked body, a new sense of optimism and strength appearing in her chest.

If they so much as say a thing against Tracey or make her cry in front of them, Gary won't hesitate in banning them from entering Oak Labs ever again. And it would take some time for them to gain back Gary's trust.

_Now_, Tracey thought as she slipped on her top. _Here comes the hard part._


	8. Chapter 8

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in disguise, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Hello there, everyone. Once again, major apologies for taking a while to update ^^; So many story ideas, so little time to write them.

Thanking CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing the last chapter ^^ I appreciate it very much. Suggestions and comments are always welcomed. Thanks so much in advance!

* * *

Chapter 8:

Lingering outside the living room, which was unnervingly silent despite holding three very vocal youths, Tracey took a moment to compose herself. She really didn't want to have this conversation, especially right here and now. Sure, she had spent years going over the conversation again and again in her head, but she still felt it was too soon. Or rather, too sudden.

Releasing a sigh, Tracey turned around and gently took one of Gary's hands in hers. She could feel his annoyance directed at his childhood friend in the next room coming off of him in waves. While it was endearing to her that he was so protective of her, she knew far too well that when Gary was this upset, he tended to run off at the mouth a bit. And getting into an all out verbal brawl would not help lessen the stress she was already under.

"Gary," she said as she looked him in the eyes as she held his hand gently against her chest, the back of his hand over her beating heart. "I know you're dying to say something, but can I please do this on my own?"

Gary appeared disconcerted about the idea. "But-!"

Tracey quickly silenced his protests by placing a finger to his lips, this action reliably able to halt his words immediately. "I know," she said gently. "But you're angry and I don't want this conversation to turn into a huge yelling match. Besides, this is something I should have done at the very beginning, so it's entirely my fault."

Gary looked ready to protest again, the fact that Tracey was blaming herself, and herself alone was enough to irritate him. However, as he looked into her eyes, those same shimmering and pleading eyes that always made him practically melt; he knew that he could not argue with her.

"Fine," he muttered in reluctant defeat, appearing unhappy with the arrangement. "But if they say anything I don't like, I'm stepping in, got it?"

"Yes," Tracey said as her expression brightened lightly with gratitude. She removed her finger from his lips and leaned up on her toes to press her lips against his in a lingering kiss, Gary immediately wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her closer.

"Thank you for understanding," Tracey said as she pulled back and gave him a small smile. "I'll make it up to you somehow, ok?"

"You better," Gary said as he gave her another kiss before stepping away and moving to open the doors leading to the living room. He made sure that Tracey was behind him so when they entered, she didn't have to see the looks of accusations that are no doubt directed at her.

He looked down when he felt something brush against his leg and a smile graced his lips when his beloved Umbreon peered up at him. Next to the dark canine was the water mouse, Marill, who was lightly touching Tracey's leg with her paw, letting her master know that everything will be ok.

Although very cute, Marill won't hesitate to use Water Canon on anyone who dares hurt Tracey.

"Let's get this over and done with," Gary muttered.

Ash, Misty and Brock looked up from their silent inner musings to watch the door open and then Gary, who was the first to step into the lounge room where a heavy and tense cloud of uncertainty hung in the air. His profile was tall and strong, defiant and defensive. It appeared that all it would take one wrong against Tracey to set off his torrent of anger and rage.

Eying the occupants through narrow and fierce eyes, Gary felt his annoyance grow when Ash refused to look him in the eyes.

A gentle hand appeared on his shoulder and Gary felt himself relax, but only a little. He looked over his shoulder and into the raven eyes of Tracey, who gave him a soft smile, one that still held a sense of gratitude. She truly was thankful for his presence as she was certain she wouldn't have been able to handle this stress all on her own.

"Would you like something to drink?" Brock suddenly offered, breaking the silence in the room with his empathetic tone. "It might help calm your nerves."

"Um, no," Tracey replied with a small nod of her head and a grateful smile. "That won't be-"

"A nice cup of tea never hurts anyone," Brock interrupted as he took to his feet, his expression holding this sense of understanding to it and he quickly made his way in the direction of the kitchen. He was in his reputable 'big brother' mode again and he won't be satisfied until he does something of use. "I'll be right back."

Tracey wanted to protest, to tell him not to bother with doing something for her, but he was already out of ear shot and was even humming a light tune to himself. She sighed and turned to Gary, who had raised an eyebrow in Brock's direction.

"He's never been the one to take no for an answer, has he?" she said in light amusement.

Although, previously, Gary had been annoyed at the older male, he felt this mild sense of relief in knowing that at least someone was taking the news of Tracey's true gender well. Then again, Brock knew before Tracey even had to tell him, so it wasn't that much of a shock to him.

Another silence fell over the room and Tracey moved to step out from behind Gary's protective stance and took a seat on the couch, facing Ash and Misty who were sitting on the other side. Immediately, Gary took a seat next to her, his posture still defensive and on edge. Umbreon and Marill soon took their places beside their masters, Marill perching herself in Tracey's lap as Umbreon curled up by their feet.

Tracey felt a small sense of calm wash over her as she gently strokes Marill behind the ear. Marill has been by her side for years, even before she started dressing herself as a guy.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ash finally asked, lifting his head to look at Tracey with oddly confused, unreadable eyes.

"I wanted to," Tracey replied to his question softly as she swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat. "I just didn't know how."

"Didn't know how?" Ash repeated as he blinked his eyes slowly in a sense of disbelief before stiffening in his seat with a sense of indignity. "Tracey, we've been friends for years!"

"You know you can tell us anything, right?" Misty added gently when she noticed that Tracey visibly winced from Ash's loud statement. She knew that this was hard for the slightly older female and she felt a sense of sympathy for her.

She has known Tracey for a long time now and while she didn't know everything about her, she knew enough to know that Tracey was a genuinely kind and sweet person who didn't like to made a fuss over. She also knows that she must have a very good reason for hiding her gender in the first place.

"Yes, I know," Tracey said as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

Ash shook his head vehemently. "Then why-?"

"I was scared, ok?!" Tracey practically cried as she bowed her head suddenly and squeezed her eyes shut. She pulled Marill against her chest for comfort, but quickly uncurled one of her arms when Gary leaned over and took one of her hands in his, squeezing it lightly to let her know that she's not alone.

Lifting her head up to look at her boyfriend, Tracey smiled sadly when she realized that it was taking all of Gary's self-control not to get involved with this conversation.

"Scared?" Ash muttered as he physically leaned back in surprise. "Scared of what?"

Drawing a shaky breath through her mouth, Tracey focused her attention on the dark haired male in front of her. "I guess I'll start from the beginning," she said.

"Yes," Brock said suddenly as he placed a cup of hot tea on the coffee table in front of her, startling the small group with his abrupt appearance. "That would be the best place to start."

"Don't say a word while she's explaining everything, alright?" Gary practically threatened, speaking up for the first time since entering the room. With his eyes narrowed, he took a moment to glare at everyone, waiting and searching for even a hint of protest, and fortunately, there was none.

Wrapping her lithe hand around her tea, Tracey took a small sip to slow down her rapidly beating heart before placing it back down, wrapping her arms around Marill once again. "It started about six months before I met you and Misty, Ash," she explained as she absentmindedly started to scratch Marill behind the ear again. "I was training to be a Pokémon watcher under the steady gaze of my Mentor, Cedric. He trained me in the ways of anticipating the Pokémon's next move and how to safely sneak up on an unsuspecting Pokémon as they slept."

She paused for a moment, a soft smile gracing her lips when the memories of her youth returned to her. Cedric was an old friend of the family, a man of about middle age and full of enthusiasm for life. She could still remember the excitement she would feel every time Cedric taught her something new, or when she encountered a new Pokémon she couldn't wait to sketch. She had so much fun getting to know each Pokémon she encountered, even learning how to predict and dodge a Pokémon's attacks.

Sometimes, her training involved her dancing with the Pokémon to understand how they move and why they act the way they do. She could learn so much just by being with the Pokémon.

"It was a lot of fun and I loved being his apprentice," she said brightly before her expression quickly turned sad and as subconsciously gripped at Gary's reassuring hands once again. "Until one night I overheard him speaking with a couple of people in strange uniforms. It wasn't until I crept closer did I realize that he was talking to a couple of members from Team Rocket and he was planning to hand me over to them. He was training me to be a soldier of Team Rocket."

A stunned silence filled the room, the atmosphere quickly turning to that of shocking disbelief.

"W-what?" Ash stuttered as he gave a prefect rendition of a fish out of water expression. "You're wanted by team rocket?"

The electric mouse, Pikachu looked alarmed, his ears folding back in a sense of concern. "Pika?"

Misty gasped softly and placed a hand over her mouth, her sea green eyes shimmering with a sense of sadness. "Oh, Tracey," she murmured.

"I didn't want anything to do with them," Tracey continued as tears slowly began to well up in her eyes. "So I ran. I didn't know where I was going or what I was going to do, I just ran. I cut my hair short and disguised myself as a guy, fearing that Team Rocket might come after me."

Looking down at the blue mouse Pokémon on her lap, Tracey pulled her closer and nuzzled the top of her head with her cheek. "Marill and Venonat were my only companions. They've been with me through everything. I couldn't ask for better Pokémon."

Again, the silence of the room was almost deafening, no one really knowing what to say.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Tracey murmured as she finally lift her head and hastily rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, her eyes watering from the memories of running away, fear taking over her completely.

Yeah, it may have been a few years, but she could still feel the sting of betrayal and fear of being forced into something she did not want to do.

"I...didn't mean to deceive you, any of you, it's just...I was scared that Team Rocket might come after me again," she carried on to say and turned toward Gary, moving to lay her weary head on his shoulder, Gary's arm immediately wrapping around her sframe. "But then Gary promised that it wouldn't happen."

Gary's face creased into an expression of defiance and possessiveness. "Not if I have anything to say about it."

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Tracey's lips, feeling safe whenever Gary is near. "Do you understand now, Ash?" she asked, turning her gaze back to the young man.

Ash had his head down, his eyes hidden from everyone in the room. He appeared tense and sombre. "Yeah..." he murmured before slowly lifting his head, his expression nothing but a mixture of guilt and regret. "I'm sorry, Tracey. I didn't mean to say you betrayed us. I mean, I was shocked, you know? You don't expect these kinds of things," he tried to explain.

Still feeling a tad bitter for the emotional torment Ash put Tracey through, Gary snorted lightly. "I would have thought that after saving the world a few times you would be a bit more open-minded."

"Hey!" Ash said, wanting to protest against the other male when something seemed to dawn on him and he abruptly turned to Tracey with a sense of jealousy in his gaze. "Wait, why did Gary know before us?!"

"I'm living here, you dimwit!" Gary said as he bristled lightly. "I was bound to find out eventually. Besides, Umbreon would look at me strangely whenever I called Tracey a 'him'."

"Really?" Ash said as he looked intrigue. He then quickly turned to Pikachu, who was standing on the coffee table, speaking in their own little language to Marill. "Did you know Tracey was a girl, Pikachu?"

Pikachu twitched his ears and blinked a few times before he tilted his head to the side, mutely asking Ash why he was so worked up about something so trivial. "Chu?"

"I'm not surprised the Pokemon knew," Tracey said as she laughed lightly as Ash's deadpan expression. He and Pikachu have a close relationship, so he must be feeling a tad foolish for not picking up on Pikachu's knowledge of her gender. "They have much stronger senses than us humans."

Gary couldn't help but look at him slyly. "But you already knew that, right Ash?"

Ash gave a small twitch of annoyance, the same expression he always wore when Gary said something that discreetly questioned his Pokémon training ability. "So, how did Gary learn your secret Tracey?" he asked, hoping to take the attention off of him.

Tracey stiffened in her seat as a dark blush appeared on her cheeks. "Er, well..." she stuttered.

"That's none of your concern," Gary quickly said, his eyes narrowing defiantly.

"My, someone's protective," Misty said as she gave the pair in front of her a sly, knowing look, a smile of sheer amusement on her lips.

"Yes," Brock quickly agreed as he nodded his head, placing a hand to his chin in thought as a knowing smile, too, graced his lips. "Overly so, I dare say."

"Come to think of it, you were always pushing us away from Tracey whenever we got too close," Ash said as he tapped his cheek in thought. "Why is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Gary asked in a slightly miffed tone before giving a smug smirk, tightening his grip around Tracey's shoulders. "Tracey is my girlfriend."

Ash blinked slowly at first before a light dusting of red splashes across his cheeks. "What?! You're seriously dating him?!"

The blush on Tracey's features deepens a shade or two more. "Yeah, that's right," she said with a gentle smile, despite her embarrassment.

"Why?"

"Why?" Tracey blinked in confusion at Ash's question. "Because I love him, that's why."

"Already using the L word, I see," Brock suddenly began to tease, taking a seat next to Gary to nudge him in the ribs, earning himself a twitch from the disgruntled male. "How deep is this relationship, then?"

"D'aww," Misty coos from her seat, fidgeting with delight. "That's so sweet!"

Gary bristled and lightly pushed Brock away from him, practically pulling Tracey into his lap as a sign of possessiveness, Marill jumping out of Tracey's arms to land on the table next to Pikachu, squeaking happy at the two of them. "Would you jokers cut it out?!"

"Look, I know this is quite a lot to take in," Tracey said as she tried to defuse the situation, noticing Ash's rather blank and pale expression. "And we didn't mean to keep this from you. We just weren't sure how you would react." She then turned to Ash and gave him a somewhat weary smile. "I think our fears are pretty well founded, don't you?"

Gary followed her gaze and narrowed his eyes slightly, giving the indication that Ash was still on his bad side. "You always did wear your emotions on your sleeve."

Ash winced from the look and scratched the back of his neck. "...Who else knows?" he asked.

"No one else," Tracey said as she shook her head. "Not even the Professor."

"We weren't keeping everything from you personally," Gary added before shrugging lightly. "We wanted to keep our personal lives to ourselves. We've always been secretive kind of people, I guess."

"Hmm, that's true," Brock hummed as he pulled himself into his contemplative stance again before climbing to his feet to address his fellow Pokémon trainers. "I think we should end this conversation here for now. Ash has a few things he needs to ponder."

Sighing deeply, Tracey practically sinks against Gary's side as their other two guests nod their heads in agreement and climbed to their feet as well. While she has no doubt Ash and Misty have some thinking to do, Tracey can't help but feel that a weight has been lifted off of her shoulders.

Now, all she needed to do was to explain things to Professor Oak. Surely, that won't be as stressful, will it?


	9. Chapter 9

**Secret No More**

**Summary:** With Tracey a female in disguise, and now his girlfriend, Gary has a hard time keeping his hands off her with his grandfather away...but then Ash and Co just had to pay a visit. When will they leave?

**Pairings:** Gary/Tracey

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the series Pokemon or any character associated.

**Warnings:** Tracey is portrayed as female in gender in this story. Yes, I know he's a guy, and yes there have been episodes where Tracey had been shirtless, let's just pretend that never happened for the sake of it, ok?

**AN:** Hello there, everyone. Thanking CleverPhoenix and MetalPrincess13 for reviewing the last chapter ^^

Yes, this is indeed the last chapter to this fic, but fear not, I will definitely write more **Gary/fem!Tracey** fics in the future. I love this pairing too much and there aren't enough of them, so I have made it my duty to write more fics about them, be it oneshots or multi-chaptered fics. If my readers would like, I could write a lemon oneshot on this pairing as well. It all depends, so don't be afraid to let me know ^^

Thanks again to everyone who has read, reviewed and placed this story on their favourite lists. I hope that you will enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you in the future.

* * *

Chapter 9:

Gently closing the large bay windows in the lounge room, Tracey released a soft weary sigh to herself as she gazed out at the now still grounds of the laboratories, watching with a sense of relief as the Pokémon merrily ambled around on the grounds without a care in the world. She, as well as Gary had sent their Pokémon outside to make sure that all the other Pokémon that reside here were safe, healthy and accounted for.

And, much to Tracey's relief, no one was missing.

Suddenly feeling very tired, Tracey sighed again as she drew the curtains across, the sky outside darkening as the sun slowly started to set, signalling that the day was coming to an end.

"Well," Tracey said as she broke the now deafening silence of the labs, something she would have normally enjoyed, but after so much 'excitement' and stress, the silence wasn't as reassuring as it used to be. In fact, it caused her to think about the many different ways she could have done better. "Today was something else, wasn't it?"

Professor Oak was set to arrive either tomorrow or the next day, so the week they were supposed to spend together alone, just the two of them doing stuff that couples do, was nearly over. She was certain that Gary was mildly annoyed by that fact alone; not even starting on the way Ash accused her earlier in the day. He had apologized and she had accepted his sorry words, but Gary was probably still irritated by the whole thing.

Gary sat in the same seat he was in earlier when Tracey had to explain herself to the others and hadn't bothered to move to show the others out when they decided to leave, only getting up to check on the labs and to remove the security procedure Tracey put in place the moment Team Rocket made their presence known to them. He was still brooding about the entire event, surprisingly still annoyed that Ash, though having matured over the years, seemed to be taking a while to come to terms of Tracey's 'secret gender'.

Sure, he might have said sorry, but it still doesn't cut it with him. He wasn't the type to readily forgive anyone for causing Tracey to cry the way she did today.

"We should probably tell Gramps next," Gary said, not wanting a repeat of today as he motioned her over to him by raising a hand for her to take. "I don't fancy another unintentional revealing like this."

"Yeah, you're right," Tracey said as she breathed another deep sigh and made her way over to him, lifting her own hand and letting it slip into Gary's larger, more work harden hands. "I don't either."

Instead of sitting next to him on the coach, Gary drew her down into her lap and Tracey made no attempt to move, instead, sinking down against him and wrapping her arms around his neck, seeking his comfort. It had been a long and tiring day and all she wanted to do now was sit here in Gary's arms and put this whole incident behind her.

Although she would have liked her secrets to be revealed in a less traumatic way, she was glad that a burden had been removed from her shoulders. She didn't have to worry anymore about her friends finding out and rejecting her; they knew now and while it was a bit much for them to take, they accepted her.

"How do you think he'll take it?" she asked as she nuzzled her head under his chin.

"Knowing Pops, he'll take it with surprisingly no argument," Gary said as he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he ran soothing fingers through her hair. A grin of self-satisfaction appeared on his lips when he felt her sink even further into his embrace. "I think the reason why we haven't told him is because we didn't want him to give us tips on the prefect relationship."

Tracey's shook slightly as she chuckled with a mild sense of amusement as she too had heard Professor's story of his own true love many a time. He would say time and time again that his wife was the first person he fell in love with and they married when they were barely out of their teens. She was his first and only girlfriend; a trait that the Oak men seem to pass down from generation to generation.

"That's true," she said as she lifted her head so she could look into his eyes. A soft smile graced her lips as they wordlessly gazed at each other, Gary's expression lightening into one of loving warmth, the expression she and their Pokémon were ever allowed to see.

Lifting her hand, Tracey delicately touched Gary's cheek, caressing it gently as the hand in her hair slipped down her neck to her shoulders, talented fingers seeking out the tenseness in the muscles and expertly soothing them away. She made a small hum of contentment and moved her hand to slip her fingers through his messy brown tresses, leaning forward so they are nose to nose.

"Gary?" she breathed.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you," Tracey said as she brushed her lips against his ever so lightly, causing Gary to suddenly tighten his hold on her. "For everything."

Gary stilled his hand on the back of her neck, holding her steady. He wanted to tell her that she didn't need to thank him for anything, but he knew that she would insist on it, so allowed her to say it this one time without argument. "My pleasure," he whispered, his lips moving sensually against hers as he spoke.

Then, not liking the distance between them anymore, he firmly pressed their lips together, pulling her into a deep kiss. A sigh of pleasure slipped from Tracey's throat as Gary ran his tongue over her bottom lip, parting her lips to allow him entrance and the chance to deepen the kiss further. She just loved the way his tongue would curl around hers, the way he knew exactly what to do and where to touch her to set her body aflame. She had never felt this way for anyone before and deep within her heart she knew that Gary was the only person on this planet that could make her feel so content.

They continued to trade passionate kisses for a few drawn out moments, simply relishing in the feel of one another before Tracey drew back with a sigh and placed her finger to his lips, smiling softly at the blatant disappointment from the lack of contact in Gary's eyes.

"I'm going to take a shower," Tracey announced as she reluctantly removed herself from Gary's lap and embrace. Truthfully, she wanted nothing more than to stay in his arms until this whole ordeal was a distant memory. "Hopefully, I'll feel better."

"Why don't you have an early night?" Gary suggested as he let his hands linger on Tracey's hips, reluctant to let her go completely from his grasp. He hooked his fingers through the belt hoops of her shorts and looked up at her with a frown that held nothing but concern in it. "You've had quite an emotional day."

Tracey shook her head slightly and then motioned with her hand to the labs, wincing when at the image of piles of paperwork sitting on her personal desk in the corner of the labs appeared in her mind. "But the labs-"

"I'll take care of everything," Gary interrupted her, rolling his eyes at her workaholic ways. "Don't worry your pretty little head, alright?"

Tracey knew better than to argue with Gary at this point in time and simply nodded in agreement. "Ok, I won't," she said as she placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned forward to grant her younger lover a chaste kiss on the lips. "Thanks Gary. I love you."

"I love you as well," Gary replied effortlessly, grinning cheekily as he let one of his hands slip down to playfully pinch Tracey on the butt, earning himself a squeak, a blush and a light hit to the back of the head as Tracey disentangled herself from his grip.

"Typical horny teenager," she muttered under her breath, appearing adorably flustered. Ah, that was the expression Gary loved to see.

A sudden thought occurred to Gary and he got up from his seat to follow Tracey into the bedroom as she retrieved a set of clothes for her to get changed into after she has a shower. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something," he said as he leaned against the doorframe.

Tracey glanced up from what she was doing for a moment to regard him. "What is it?"

"What was your previous name anyway?"

Tracey immediately stopped what she was doing and gave him her full attention, slightly surprised by the question. "Why do you want to know?" she asked as she tilted her head to the side in question.

Gary gave a carefree shrug, a casual grin on his lips. "Just curious."

It had been so long since anyone has asked her what her previous name was that it took Tracey a moment to remember it.

"Well, it was Kenya Moselle," she replied, feeling slightly awkward at saying her name out loud as after she fled her hometown and previous mentor, she vowed to herself that she would never say her real name out loud ever again. She was fearful that if anyone should say her name out loud, someone from Team Rocket might overhear and start their pursuit of her again.

But she trusted Gary; he would never do anything to put her in danger. Besides, he knew everything else about her, so why not her real name?

"Apparently, my last name meant 'drawn from the water'," she added with a shrug.

"Kenya, huh?" Gary said as he let the name roll off his tongue. It was a pretty name and it suited her rather well. "I like it."

For some reason, that caused Tracey to laugh softly to herself. She didn't know why, but she felt a sense of relief that Gary knew her previous name.

"I'm going to have a shower now," she said and moved passed him, lingering for a moment to kiss his cheek.

She stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door, but not locking it behind her. Shedding herself of her clothes, Tracey turned the shower on and got it to the temperature that was the most comfortable and stepped under the spray. She enjoyed having showers just before bed as they always seemed to help her unwind and relax after a long day of work. She loved the way the water felt against her skin, soothing and invigorating at the same time.

And after the day she just had, this was going to be a long shower, no doubt about that.

A few long moments drifted by before a soft gasp passed her lips when a very naked male body slipped in behind her, firm hands settling on her hips as a pair of lips pressed themselves on the back of her neck, scattering light kisses along her shoulders and neck.

"Gary," she murmured as she tilted her head to the side, allowing him further access to the subtleness of her throat.

She knew he couldn't resist joining her in the shower, but she was glad for his presence nonetheless as she leaned back into his embrace, her back flushed against his chest as his arms moved to wrap around her waist.

Her wearies of the world was soon forgotten as they quickly lost themselves in each other, hands touching and caressing, the water cascading down their bodies, now joined together in an intimate display of devotion and love. Whispered words of endearment passed their lips, scattering butterfly kisses trailing over tender flesh. Hands explored bodies they knew so well yet could not get enough off, the tenderness in their simple touches filling their hearts with contented warmth. Their kisses were deep and passionate, yet soft and gentle at the same time.

Clinging onto Gary' shoulders, her face buried in the crook of his neck, Tracey released a deep sigh as Gary kissed her temple, the two of them slowly coming down from their highs.

"Feeling better?" Gary asked with a smug grin, clearly fishing for compliments.

"Mmm hmm," Tracey murmured in reply, sighing softly as she moved away from Gary's warmth and gave him a small smile. "How about something to eat before bed?"

"Sounds good," Gary replied with a grin.

Tracey rolled her eyes at the response but kissed his cheek affectionately nonetheless. "Stay here and finish up," she said as she reluctantly pushed away from him. "I'll make some sandwiches or something."

They shared yet another lingering kiss before Tracey stepped out of the shower and quickly dried herself off using a towel, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she could fee Gary's eyes greedily taking in her naked form.

Slipping on her night clothes that consisted of a simple pair of pyjama shorts and a singlet top that folded to the curves of her figure, Tracey stepped out of the bathroom and made her way down stairs, a towel on the top of her head to dry her hair.

"I'm home!" A familiar voice suddenly announced.

"Ah, Professor!" Tracey said as she whipped the towel from her head and dropped it on the floor, clearly shocked to see her mentor home so suddenly. And not to mention the fact that he was so sudden and discreet in his entrance to the labs, that she did not have time to race into her room and place her bandages on.

"You're back early..." she trailed off when she realized that the elderly man was no staring at her in complete surprise. She took a meek step backwards, one of her hands timidly moving to her chest.

This conversation would most likely prove to be an awkward one.

But then Professor Oak's expression brightened considerably and he started laughing almost joyously. Ok, that was not the type of reaction she had been expecting from the elderly professor. She had expected him to be more...professional, asking the reasons why she was dressing the way she was in a calm demeanour.

"Haha, it seems like you have finally embraced your femineity!" he said as he took a step forward and placed a hand on top of Tracey's head, messing up her hair in a sign of affection.

Tracey was quite literally stunned by his reaction and she pulled away from his grasp, appearing undeniably frazzled and bewildered. "I...what?" she stuttered as she placed her hands on her head to attempt to sooth down the messy tresses.

"About time," Oak said as he folded an arm over his chest, the other moving to stroke his chin as he appeared deep in scientific thought. "I was wondering when you would get sick of hiding. It's been years!"

"You knew?" Tracey asked, openly gaping at her mentor and employer. She couldn't believe it! After years of agonizing about how she would tell the professor why she was hiding her gender, he knew all along?

"Why didn't you say anything?" she spluttered at him, her face taking on a pinkish colour from embarrassment.

The professor then closed his eyes, appearing to fall deeper into thought. "Hmm, I guess it just never came up in conversation," he simply replied, causing Tracey to literally deadpan at his response.

"I guess not..." she murmured in reply.

"What's all the noise about?" Came Gary's voice, seemingly annoyed at all the noise. He soon appeared in sight dressed in only a pair of worn jeans and a towel hanging over his shoulders. He then froze, his gaze immediately falling onto his form of his grandfather before shifting over to that of his frazzled girlfriend, who was not wearing her bandages.

"Gramps, you're back...early," he said slowly.

"Ah, Gary my boy," Oak said as he walked over to his grandson, grabbing his hand and shaking it in as if he was congratulating him, his other hand patting his shoulder with a sense of pride. "You've made a brilliant choice. I am very proud of you."

Now, it was Gary's turn to appear frazzled and confused. "Huh?"

"Why, choosing Tracey as your girlfriend, of course," Oak explained, smiling widely at his grandson. "Ah, I can remember when I was your age-"

"Wait, you knew?!" Gary loudly interrupted his grandfather, his face creasing into a look of pure annoyance. "How? We were being careful!"

The professor simply scoffed at his grandson. "I might be getting on in years, Gary my boy, but I'm not blind or senile yet. You can't hide anything from me."

He then turned his attention back to Tracey. He offered her a warm smile and placed a hand on her shoulder in a sign of acceptance and reassurance. "Congratulations," he said. "I know the two of you will be very happy together."

At first Tracey didn't know what to say, but soon a soft smile appeared on her lips, a heavy burden being lifted from her shoulders. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Haha!" Professor Oak suddenly laughed again, seemingly over happy about the whole situation and trekked further into the house. "Wait until I tell Delia, she'll be so happy!"

Gary watched as his grandfather disappeared from his sight and slumped his posture forward, his eyebrow twitching violently above his right eye. "All this time..."

"We were hiding for nothing," Tracey finished for him, confirming what just transpired and how quickly it was all over with. If only her conversation with Ash and the others went as quickly and smoothly.

"I should have know the old man knew something," Gary muttered darkly under his breath and slapped himself on the forehead at a sudden realization. "He was always giving me those knowing looks." He then raked an angry hand through his still slightly damp hair. "Argh, I can't believe I didn't realize back then!"

Truthfully, Tracey was feeling too relieved to be angry with the professor; she was just happy that he was so accepting of her true gender and her relationship with his grandson. In fact, he was very supportive, even congratulating them.

"What's done is done, we can't change anything." she said to her brooding boyfriend, placing her hands on his back in an attempt to calm him down. "Well, at least I don't have to wear those bandages anymore," she added with a smile.

"That's true," Gary said as he perked up a little and turned around to face her, a feral grin appearing on his lips and a predatory look in his eyes. "We also don't have to wait until he leaves the room, either."

Tracey immediately blushed at the words and tried to take a step to back away. "Gary, wait! We still have to be discreet about this kind of thing!"

But Gary didn't bother with a verbal response, instead simply grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her upstairs, pushing her into her room and slammed the door shut behind him, locking it soundly.

Now that their secret relationship was secret no more, he had to make up for lost time. It was only natural, right?


End file.
